Psuedo Shigeru
by Nate Grey
Summary: Gary enters a world where the Indigo League & Team Rocket are united, but how long can he pose as a longlost member of the Elite Five until his secret is discovered?
1. Ally in the Darkness

Pseudo Shigeru

Pseudo Shigeru

Note: This takes place after Gary encounters MewTwo at the Viridian Gym. Gary would be cool if he was actually involved in the plot a little bit more. Ah, well. Another anime bad guy gone to waste. At least he doesn't have to crossdress to get attention. Also, I'm hooked on Pokémon Gold. That's your only warning. J 

Summary: Gary travels to a dangerous world where the Pokémon League and Team Rocket are one. To free the legendary birds from captivity, he must pose as one of the Rocket League's Elite Five, but even if he can fool Giovanni, how long can he deceive Satoshi and Kasumi, the ones who know him best?

Pokémon speech is in italics.

Chapter 1: Ally in the Darkness

It had been a typical argument between the two. As usual, Gary wasn't winning.

"How could you have been so irrational, Gary?!" Professor Oak shouted. "Taking on an unknown Pokémon is absolutely insane!"

"I had things under control, Grampa!" he protested.

"You did not! And to think that it was a Psychic type, too! You're just lucky Ash arrived in time to get you medical attention! I can't imagine how the Viridian City Gym Leader got such an incredible Pokémon, but I'll have to look into--"

Gary growled and bit his lip, ignoring his grandfather's rambling. The battle at the Viridian Gym HAD been a disaster…but he'd been on the winning side of it, at first. All the Gym Leader's Pokémon had fallen to Gary's Dream Team. He'd had the match won. 

But then…IT had appeared. He hadn't even seen it clearly, but it had taken his Dream Team apart without breaking a sweat. And then everything had gone black. The next thing Gary knew, Ash was shaking him, asking what had happened.

Now that he'd thought about it, it could have been anything. Confusion. Disable. Hypnosis. Maybe even Dream Eater after that. Gary had nightmares about the thing for at least a week. He'd stayed cooped up in his room, only coming out to help his grandfather with the Pokémon research.

And then Professor Oak had gotten a call from Ash, who'd just won his first Orange League Badge. Despite the fact that Gary already had ten badges while Ash only had nine, something in Gary had just…snapped. The vid-phone had exploded as the pokeball slammed into the screen. Gary hadn't even realized he'd thrown it until his grandfather had started yelling.

They'd gone back and forth as usual, somehow getting to the subject of the mysterious psychic Pokémon at the Viridian Gym. Despite the fact it had been months ago, they could never agree on how Gary should've handled the situation. Gary no longer had nightmares about the creature, but he dreamed of defeating it…and capturing it for himself. Then he'd show everyone. His grandfather. His sister. And especially Ash and his friends. With that kind of power, he'd be unstoppable.

Gary was still dreaming of his revenge when he heard his grandfather mutter something.

"Sometimes I wish I had Ash for a grandson instead…"

The words were barely out of Professor Oak's mouth when Gary grabbed the old man and spun him around. "What did you say?!" he shouted in rage.

"Let go of me, Gary," Professor Oak said calmly.

"Oh, I get it. So Ash is the perfect grandson now, huh? His own father wouldn't even stay around long enough to--!"

Before he could complete the sentence, Professor Oak's hand slapped him hard across the cheek. Gary blinked in shock and took a step back.

"I won't have that kind of talk in my lab, Gary Oak!" Professor Oak made a last attempt to regain his composure.

Gary sneered at him. "Oh? And where would you have it? Maybe in Ash's mother's bedroom?!" He paused, realizing he'd crossed a very thin line, but it was too late to take it back.

Professor Oak's face turned a bright shade of red. He slowly raised a finger, shaking with anger as he pointed to the door. "Get out of my lab, Gary. Right now. And don't EVER come back."

Gary glared at him defiantly a moment longer, then stormed out of the lab, kicking over a table as he went.

Professor Oak watched him go, then sighed heavily and began to clean up the mess. "One day you'll learn, my grandson…hopefully, one day soon…"

* * * * *

May Oak looked up as she heard her younger brother enter the house. "Gary?" she called.

The only reply was the sound of Gary's door slamming shut.

May blinked and left her room, stopping in front of Gary's door. She knocked gently. "Gary, what's wrong?"

"Go away!"

"We both know you don't really mean that. Can I come in?"

Silence.  


May eased the door open and peered in.

Gary was lying across his bed, fingering a pokeball in one hand. "You never did listen very well, did you, May?" he muttered.

May ignored the insult, as she was used to them when Gary was upset, which was often. They lived alone for the most part, and he needed to vent frequently. She was the only one around, so she put up with it, simply because she loved him dearly. She knew Gary loved her, too, even if he had a derisive way of showing it.

May sat down beside him. "Another fight with Grampa?"

Gary's eyes narrowed.

May hesitantly reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Gary started to shrug it off, then thought better of it and sighed. "He said he wished Ash was his grandson."

May gently squeezed his shoulders. "You know he didn't mean that."

"But he DID, May. I know he did." Gary frowned and stared at the pokeball. "I don't get it. I'm better than Ash at everything, especially Pokémon. Why isn't he proud of me?"

"Oh, Gary, but he is! Grampa encourages Ash so much because he doesn't have a father, and—"

"Neither do we," Gary snapped. "At least Ash's mother is alive. We don't have ANY parents. So why is Ash more important than me?"

"He isn't, Gary. But Ash is an only child. He doesn't have an older sister that loves him no matter what. You do. See the difference?"

"No," Gary muttered, even though he did. May was terrible at being subtle, but she always seemed to be right, anyway.

May wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Gary, why can't you understand? Ms. Ketchum can only do so much for Ash at home. Grampa's the only one that can really keep up with him for her. That's why they're so close. She's a lonely woman, and Grampa's a lonely man. I mean, remember that time we caught him having a tea party with Ash's Muk?"

Gary smirked. It had been pretty funny…and very, very strange. But he'd gotten an advance on his allowance as hush money, so he couldn't complain. He was fairly certain he had a photo stashed in his closet, anyway…

May squeezed his neck gently. "Still mad?"

"Yeah. Some."

"I'll go make dinner, then." May leaned her head against his. "I love you, Gary."

Gary grunted. May always said that, no matter what they'd been talking about. She was fairly certain that one day it'd be the last time they'd see each other, and made a point of telling Gary that at least three times a day. Somehow, she'd even gotten his cell phone number, and called at least twice a day when he was on the road, sometimes just to tell him she loved him. It was annoying and endearing at the same time.

"Well?" she asked, smiling at him.

Gary sighed and closed his eyes. "Love you, too, sis," he muttered, looking in the other direction.

May leaned closer and lightly kissed his cheek. "You shouldn't stay so mad all the time, Gary," she whispered in his ear. "I miss seeing you smile." She kissed his cheek once again and left the room.

Gary sighed and tossed his pokeball up in the air. "Yeah. Me, too." He rolled over and hit the Redial button on his vid-phone. Almost instantly, the person on the other end picked up.

"I don't know how you got this number, but I don't-"

"Relax, Frieda. It's me." Gary sat up and glanced at the screen, watching the girl's face light up.

"Gary! Hi! This is a nice surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Never mind the small talk, Frieda. I need my usual, and I need it fast."

"Oh?" Frieda leaned closer to the screen, her green eyes fixed on his face. "And what's in it for me?"

Gary sighed in frustration. "You know I always have something for you. Is it a deal?"

Frieda pretended to think about it. "I don't know…"

"Fine. TWO surprises this time," Gary hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Frieda flashed him a winning smile. "That's my boy. Same spot?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. And Frieda?"

"Yes, Gary?"

He paused, as if thinking something over. "This will be our last meeting." Gary hung up just as the smell of one of May's many stews hit his nose. Deciding he wasn't hungry, Gary got up to leave, but his stomach growled in protest. With an angry grunt, he went down to have dinner.

* * * * *

The cold wind whipped harshly at his body, but Gary hardly noticed it. With the combined heat of the cloak, the active Fearow beneath him, and the Eevee sleeping in his lap, he was warm enough.

A few minutes later, Diglett Cave finally came into sight. Gary didn't even order his Fearow to slow down. Instead, he told it to speed up, which the bird Pokémon instantly did. The only precaution Gary did take was to wake up his Eevee. "C'mon, girl," he whispered, stroking her back. "Time to work your magic."

The Eevee immediately came to life, opening her eyes and hopping up on all fours, her back slightly arched.

"Use your Bubblebeam on anything that gets in our way. We don't have time for interruptions."

"Ewee!" Eevee replied, nodding. The small collar partially hidden by her neck fur began to glow, and the blue jewel on it pulsed brightly.

"Keep us steady, Fearow." Gary shifted slightly to the right on Fearow's back. "And no attacks. Save your strength."

The Fearow cawed in reply, almost sounding disappointed.

"I know, I know. Next time, pal." Gary's eyes narrowed as he spotted something moving toward them, leaving cracked rocks and upturned ground in its path. "You're up, girl."

"Eweeeee!" Eevee ran along Fearow's back and leaped onto his head.

The Diglett had barely emerged from the ground when it was stunned by a surge of bubbles. The rest of the ground Pokémon were dismissed in a similar matter, save for a particularly strong Dugtrio, which required Eevee's Water Gun. Even so, they reached the secret passage in record time.

Roughly ten minutes later, they emerged once again into the night sky. Gary didn't need to direct Fearow any further; they had made the trip enough times. Soon they had reached the clearing in the woods with the brown patch of grass, even in the darkness. Even if Fearow's night vision had failed to find the spot, Eevee could've easily sniffed it out. In any case, Gary thanked Fearow and recalled it. He didn't want it spooking whatever Pokémon would be accompanying Frieda this time.

It wasn't long before Gary heard a familiar sound, followed by a faint glow appearing in the grass. "You're late," he said.

"Your usual was harder to collect this time," Frieda replied as she came into the open. She wore a violet cloak, similar to Gary's own, with the hood hiding everything but her face from view. "But, I got everything you asked for."

"And more, it seems," Gary added, his eyes settling on the Pokémon at her side. It was giving off a faint glow, and looked something like a sheep that had just barely escaped a shearing gone wrong. He almost mistook it for a poodle, but then he noticed the black and yellow tail, which put him in mind of an Electabuzz. "What is that thing?"

Frieda looked offended, and the Pokémon hid behind her leg as she replied, "This is Mark. He's shy."

"Answer the question or no deal." Gary was already searching his cloak's compartments for his Pokedex.

"Don't bother. You won't have any info in that thing." Frieda reached down to stroke one of the sheep's bare spots. "Mark's a Flaaffy. Electric type."

"And apparently, a victim of bad fashion in the Pokémon world." Gary barely kept the smile off his face, but he somehow managed.

Frieda frowned and patted Mark's head reassuringly. "Be nice. Mark's sensitive." Then she smiled and waved at the mass of fur curled up on Gary's shoulder. "Hi, Eve!"

Eve leaped off Gary's shoulder and sprang into Frieda's arms, licking her face excitedly.

Gary rolled his eyes. "You must smell like food to her."

"No, she just knows a good trainer when she sees one." Frieda kissed Eve's head, then set her down for Mark's inspection.

The two Pokémon stared at each other hesitantly, until the yellow jewel on Eve's collar began to pulse. Then Mark ventured closer. 

"I see she's gotten used to her EvoRing," Frieda said, smiling as Mark and Eve began playing with each other.

"Eve's a good Pokémon. She can adjust to anything." Gary's eyes darted to her cloak. "Well?"

"Okay, fine," Frieda sighed, pulling out a small backpack. She tossed it over to him.

Gary opened the backpack and peered inside. He began to pull out items one by one.

"Your Drowzee," Frieda said, indicating the pokeball in his hand. "Leveled up by 17 this time."

"Good." Gary opened the pokeball, releasing a rather large Drowzee wearing a necklace with a violet stone. "The Everstone works, then?"

"Well, he hasn't evolved, has he?" Frieda asked, looking annoyed.

"Just asking." Gary put the Drowzee away and pulled out another pokeball.

"Ditto. Grown by 29." Frieda looked especially proud. "Gotten bigger, too."

Gary arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. A quick glance verified that the requested potions, pokeballs, and berries were all present. He drew out two pokeballs and tossed them to her. "Umbreon, grown by 38. Espeon, grown by 45."

Frieda smiled. "Pretty good, for someone who's never even seen them before."

"Doesn't matter. They're still basically Eevees to me. Just a little stronger."

Eve looked at him and growled.

"No offense, girl. You know you're my best."

"So I guess that's it, huh?" Frieda asked quietly.

"Not quite." Gary slipped the backpack over one shoulder.

"What?" Frieda looked puzzled. "But you said this was our last meeting."

"It is. We won't be meeting any longer." Gary nodded, as if confirming a decision he'd just made. "This time, I'm going back with you."

"Going back? With…m-me?" Frieda blinked several times, not believing her ears. "But…you said you'd never even think of-"

"I changed my mind," Gary snapped, then paused, instantly regretting his tone. "I'm sorry, Frieda. It's just…there's nothing left for me here."

"What about your training? Your Pokémon? And your family?"

"I can train anywhere, and I brought all of the Pokémon I need for now," Gary replied.

"Then you'd leave your family, just like that?" Frieda asked. She lowered her voice ever so slightly. "You'd leave…May?"

Gary frowned, but showed very little surprise. Perhaps it didn't surprise him at all. He had never mentioned his sister to Frieda, but he suspected she was more than she seemed, which was a very pretty face, now that he thought about it. He'd known from the start that Frieda had certain…connections. Chances were, she knew a great deal about him…including who his grandfather was, his rivalry with Ash, and maybe, just maybe, his obsession with the mysterious Pokémon that had haunted him for months.

"Yeah. I'd leave her," he said at last. "She knew this would happen, sooner or later. Maybe she didn't want to believe it, but she knew. They both did."

"I see." Frieda looked away from him. "Are you sure? I mean…really sure? My world…it's different from this one…"

Gary closed the distance between them with a few steps and gently turned her face back to him. "Any world that produced you couldn't be all bad."

Frieda's cheeks turned bright red, just before she quickly pulled away. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes." Gary nodded. "I don't think I've ever been more serious."

"Then we have to go now, while the sun's still down." Frieda turned and started through the woods. "The trip gets harder during the day."

Mark bleated in protest and sprang after his trainer.

Eve started to follow, then turned back to look at Gary questioningly.

"Yeah, girl," he confirmed, scooping her up. "This time, we follow."

"Vee!" Eve squeaked happily and licked his chin.

Gary only smiled faintly and squeezed her affectionately before rushing after Frieda. He was very surprised to find that she'd vanished. "Frieda? Where'd you go?"

His answer came in the form of a hand wrapping around his ankle and tugging.

Gary's eyes widened as he dropped through a hole in the ground and landed on his rear. As luck would have it, Eve landed on his head.

Frieda smirked down at him. "You've got to start paying attention. Do you have any really big water types?" she asked, gesturing to a river a few yards away. "It's the fastest way back."

Gary grunted and scrambled to his feet, but only after Eve had returned to his shoulder. "I've got plenty. But after a stunt like that, what makes you think I'll let you ride any of them?"

Frieda continued to smirk. "You couldn't even find this hole. I doubt you'll be able to find your way into another world. Even if you could, you have no allies there." She poked a finger against his chest. "Face it, Gary. You need me."

"Never said I didn't. Just said you'd be lucky to get a ride." Gary pulled a pokeball from his cloak and released a large Blastoise into the river. "Ladies first."

"Oh, no. I'm not falling for THAT one. You've probably got him trained so that only you can step on him without getting tossed. You get on first."

Gary shrugged and climbed onto Blastoise's back. "You coming?" he asked, noticing the hesitant look on Frieda's face.

"Don't you have a Lapras or something…more gentle?"

"Of course. But my Blastoise is at a higher level, so it's faster. Didn't you say we had to do this quickly?"

Frieda sighed. "Fine. But one false move, and-"

"Frieda, if you don't trust me, why are you letting me follow you, anyway?" Gary interrupted.

Frieda stared at him for a long moment. The she climbed onto Blastoise's back, sitting behind him.

"You might want to hang onto something," Gary warned. "Bubba loves to push it around curves."

Frieda's lips twitched as she struggled to keep a straight face. "Bubba? You call him…Bubba?"

Gary ignored the question. "Do me a favor and hold Eve."

"Sure." Frieda carefully removed Eve from Gary's shoulder and sat the Eevee in her lap. "There should only be one path, unless the river's changed since I was here last time. How long ago was that?"

"About a year." Gary patted Blastoise's right cannon twice, and the water Pokémon pushed off, letting the river current carry it downstream.

Frieda figured that it would take them about twenty minutes to reach the river's end, and busied herself by brushing Eve's fur. Eve was certainly enjoying the attention, as was made obvious by the soft purring sounds she kept making.

Gary, on the other hand, divided his time between wondering if he was making the right decision by following Frieda, and throwing backward glances over his shoulder at her. At first, he tried to convince himself that he was only checking on Eve. But as minutes passed, Gary slowly began to admit that his supposed concern for his Eevee was actually a growing fascination with Frieda. Most of their meetings had only lasted a couple of minutes at most, so he'd never been alone with her this long. There was so much he didn't know about her, yet there were few that Gary honestly trusted more. Of course, he was careful not to let Frieda know that, but it was true.

Suddenly, Frieda looked up, only to meet Gary's gaze and blush slightly. "Um…we should just about be there now," she muttered.

Gary blinked and looked ahead. Sure enough, he could make out a rocky shoreline decorated with a few green plants. He tapped Blastoise's right cannon once, and they slowly came to a stop. "Where to now?"

"There's a path that'll lead us into a forest. Once we get there, I can handle the rest."

As he hopped to the rocky ground, Gary got the distinct feeling they were being watched. He pushed it from his mind and turned around to help Frieda off Blastoise's back.

Frieda had already inched over and was about to jump off, but stopped when she noticed Gary's outstretched arms. "I can make it," she said, looking annoyed. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm helpless."

"Just because I'm being a gentleman doesn't mean I think you're weak," Gary countered. "Besides, if you twist your ankle, I'll be the one that has to carry you."

Frieda was about to protest again, but Blastoise suddenly lurched to the right. She found herself tumbling off the large shell and into Gary's waiting arms, which tightened the instant she was in them.

Gary gave her a "told-you-so" look, but said nothing else as he let go.

"You made him do that," Frieda said accusingly.

Gary only recalled Blastoise and whistled once. Eve jumped out of Frieda's arms and ran a few feet ahead of them, stopping to look back and wag her bushy tail before heading up the path. Gary followed, assuming Frieda would do the same.

Frieda mumbled something under her breath, but eventually ran to catch up with her travel companions.

* * * * *

"Okay. So where's your time machine or…whatever it is?"

Frieda glanced at Gary. "You watch too much TV."

Gary glared at her. "You said you were from the future. How else could you get here?"

Instead of answering, Frieda dropped to her knees on the forest floor. Then she closed her eyes, lowered her head, and began to murmur something in a strange language.

Gary stared at her for about two minutes before finally asking, "What in the world are you doing?"

Frieda sighed in frustration and opened her eyes. "Look, Gary. I don't have a time machine. The way I travel between our worlds is…" She paused, looking doubtful, then sighed again. "I pray to the forest guardian to transport me. So either shut up so I can concentrate, or go ahead and get the laughter out of your system so it won't bug me later on."

When Gary didn't say anything, Frieda closed her eyes and went back to murmuring. Only when she risked a glance a minute later did she gape in surprise. Gary was kneeling next to her, his eyes closed and his face a mask on concentration. Frieda smiled slightly and moved a little closer to him.

To be honest, Gary was starting to wonder if Frieda was just joking about a forest guardian. He thought she might be trying to get back at him for the Blastoise stunt, or something else. But before he could ask, he began to feel very sleepy. By the time he heard the rustling in the nearby bushes, his eyelids were too heavy to lift. Something soft and wet brushed against his cheek, and then he knew no more.

* * * * *

"Gary? C'mon, wake up! Please!"

Gary's eyes snapped open to see Frieda leaning over him. Eve was perched on her shoulder, looking equally worried. They both sighed in relief as he sat up.

"Don't scare me like that, Gary!" Frieda scolded, hitting his shoulder. "I thought something bad had happened!"

Gary stared at her suspiciously. "Something like what…?"

"Oh. Well, uh…sometimes Pokémon from my world can't go to yours. I was hoping it didn't apply to humans, but…"

"You mean I could've been in some freak accident and ended up looking like a Porygon?! When were you going to tell me?!"

Frieda blinked. "Uh…not that I know of. Generally, they catch stuff like that BEFORE you go through. Anyway, I've only heard of some Pokémon and certain items not being able to make the trip, nothing else. Besides, Sally would've told me if it was dangerous for you."

Gary stared at her. "Who's…Sally?"

"We'd better get going," Frieda said a little too quickly. She stood up and headed into the bushes.

Gary frowned as he got to his feet.

"Vee?" Eve asked, brushing against his leg.

"I don't know, girl. But I think we can trust her. At least, I hope we can. C'mon, we don't wanna get separated."

* * * * *

"You live out here?" Gary asked in surprise.

Frieda nodded as they approached the house in the woods. "Yeah. Keeps the trainers away. We're fairly popular around here."

"We?"

"My brothers and sisters. Seven of us in all. Only Santos should be here right now, though." Frieda paused. "He'll seem a little odd at first, but you'll get used to it…or you'll just be freaked out the whole time he's here."

Gary was about to ask what she meant when the front door swung open. A young man almost twice as tall as Gary walked out, ducking his head as he came through. He stopped when he spotted Frieda. "Ah. Welcome…back, sis. I see you…brought company."

"Hey, big bro," Frieda said, standing on her toes to give him a hug. "This is my…business partner, Gary."

"Business…partner?" Santos peered down at Gary. "Huh. Thought he…was your…boyfriend."

Frieda turned bright red. "Well, he's not!"

"Oh. Well, I'm…heading out. Duty calls…and all." Santos nodded to Gary before walking past. He physically didn't put forth much effort, but his legs were so long that he'd vanished with a few giant strides.

"Let me guess," Gary said. "Each of your siblings has a…quirk."

Frieda glared at him. "I suppose it depends on the eye of the beholder." Noticing the grin on his face, she frowned. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering what your quirk is," he replied.

"I have terrible taste in business partners."

"Good thing I'm not a business partner anymore, then," Gary pointed out.

"And just what are you, Mr. Oak?"

"House-guest extraordinaire," Gary replied as he strolled into the house. "I'm hoping to be promoted to boyfriend by tonight, but I guess that'll have to wait."

Frieda smirked. "Yeah, well, don't hold your breath."

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 2: The Forest Guardian

Gary overhears details of Frieda's secret mission and decides to get involved. But what is this dangerous task, and how is Frieda's mysterious forest guardian involved? Only time and a confrontation with the creature will give Gary all the answers…


	2. The Forest Guardian

Chapter 2: The Forest Guardian

Chapter 2: The Forest Guardian

Gary sighed and stretched his arms. Frieda had told him to relax while she took care of some things, so he had. But relaxing was starting to get boring, and he was wondering what she was up to. He was still curious as to why she'd obviously lied to him back in the forest, but it hadn't seemed like a big lie. But then, she had helped him escape his world. For that, he'd let it go…for now.

Eve suddenly jumped onto his shoulder. "Vee!"

"Yeah, I'm bored, too. Guess we should go complain to Frieda. She's not being a very good hostess."

Eve hopped to the floor, waiting for her trainer to follow. She led him down a hallway to a room he assumed was Frieda's.

Gary knocked on the door. "Hey, Frieda! Aren't you done yet?"

There was no reply.

He knocked again. "C'mon, Frieda!" Gary was about to knock a third time when he heard something heavy moving across the floor.

Eve suddenly became panicked and began to whine, pawing at his leg.

"What is it, girl?" Gary asked, picking her up.

Eve continued to whine and tried to hide beneath his cloak.

The door flew open, and Gary found himself staring at Frieda's Umbreon. It simply stood there for a moment, then stepped back as Espeon appeared by its side.

Gary didn't move a muscle. While he was certain the two Pokémon knew him, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't attack if they thought he was invading Frieda's space.

Finally, Espeon lowered its body to the ground and raised its split tail, rubbing the two appendages together.

Gary heard a soft, serene music playing, and a voice that sounded like a loving mother speaking to its child.

__

"Please forgive us, Trainer Gary, but we cannot allow you to enter. Mistress Frieda is…busy."

Gary blinked, realizing that Espeon had spoken directly in his head. In all the time that he had spent raising them, neither of the Pokémon had deemed him worthy of psychic conversation. But then, he wasn't sure if Umbreon had that ability.

Umbreon made a noise that sounded like a combination of growling and grunting.

Espeon seemed to glare at him. _"Really, Leon. I hardly think such language is necessary."_

Gary raised Eve to his face and whispered in her ear. "Think you can translate what he said, girl?"

Eve flattened her ears against her head and squeaked a reply. _"Yes, but…I'd rather not repeat it, Gary…"_

"Ah. Doesn't hold his tongue, does he?"

Eve shook her head, looking very embarrassed.

Leon made the noise again, this time batting Espeon's nose for emphasis.

Espeon's glare was unmistakable this time. _"Trainer Gary, I must insist that you leave. Mistress Frieda would be most upset if-"_

"Somehow, I don't think your friend there agrees, Espeon. And I'm wondering if Frieda would, either."

Leon sank his teeth into Gary's cloak and tried to pull him into the room.

Espeon hissed and slapped him away with her paws. _"Leon, stop this! Mistress Frieda said she is not to be disturbed!"_

Leon released Gary's cloak and stared at Espeon. His red eyes seemed to glow as he advanced on her, slowly backing her into a corner.

__

"L-Leon…w-what are you d-doing?" Espeon asked, sounding nervous.

Gary easily recognized the beginning of Umbreon's powerful Confuse Ray. After all, he'd taught it to the Pokémon himself. 

Eve jumped out of Gary's arms and ran up to Leon's side. _"You won't hurt her, will you?"_

Leon didn't stop his attack. _"Stay back, little one. Pretty Cleo's been very prissy lately. This should put her in her place."_

__

"Leon…no…please…s-stoppitt…" Cleo wavered on her feet, then collapsed to the floor.

Leon ventured closer and sniffed the red dot on Cleo's forehead. _"Good. She'll be out for a while."_ He glanced down at Eve. _"Take Master Gary downstairs, and hurry."_

__

"Downstairs? Where?"

Leon made his growling/grunting noise again. _"Cleo must have hidden it. Hold on."_ His eyes began to glow again.

Gary blinked as the entire room seemed to shudder. Then he noticed that the bed wasn't really a bed at all, but a large steel trapdoor.

__

"Go, little one, and go quickly. I'll keep an eye on Cleo." Leon sat down beside Cleo and rested his head on her paw.

Eve experimentally tapped the trapdoor, and jumped back as it began to open. _"This way, Gary!"_

Gary glanced at Leon one last time before following Eve down the flight of steps he found. "Wait a minute, girl. I've got a question."

Even stopped and looked back at him_. "You're wondering why Cleo called you Trainer, but Leon called you Master?"_

"That's one thing, yeah."

__

"Cleo could sense that Frieda was only lending them to you for a time. She's extremely loyal to her."

"And what about Leon?"

__

"Leon could sense it, too, but you've earned his respect. He still considers you his Master."

"So you're saying if Frieda told him to do something, he wouldn't listen?"

__

"Oh, no, he's loyal to Frieda, too. But, like I said, he respects you, and besides, he…doesn't get along with Cleo very well."

Gary paused. "Then…you think it was a mistake, leaving them alone back there?"

Eve stopped for a moment, then shook her head. _"No. Despite their differences, I could tell that he cares about Cleo."_ Eve stopped again. _"Maybe a little TOO much…"_

* * * * *

Upstairs, Cleo slowly opened her eyes. _"Ugh…I feel sick."_

__

"Now, now, Pretty Cleo. Is that any way to speak to a Pokémon that's gone out of his way to keep you warm?"

Cleo instantly realized that what she'd thought was a blanket was actually_… "LEON! You sneaky, disgusting backstabber! Get your paws off me!"_

__

"Hmm. No, I don't think so, my dear. Your fur is quite comfortable at the moment. So soft and silky…" 

__

"Ooooh! If you weren't bigger than me, I'd...!"

__

"You wouldn't enjoy it as much then." Leon leaned down and nuzzled her neck_. "Stop fidgeting. We both know you're not the slightest bit unhappy right now."_

__

"How DARE you!" Cleo struggled even harder. _"Are you…ugh…implying that I…oof…am enjoying this?!"_

__

"No, Pretty Cleo. I'm SAYING that you are." He chuckled slightly. _"You know, I really enjoyed it when you were begging me not to use my Confuse Ray. Maybe if you begged me again…"_

__

"I will do no such thing! Let me up at once, Leon!"

__

"Admit that you don't find me entirely repulsive and I'll consider it."

__

"So you want me to LIE?!" she spat.

__

"Actually, I want you to be honest. With me and yourself." 

__

"Fine. I honestly HATE what you're doing right now!"

__

"Oh, really?" Leon stared at the red dot on her forehead. _"And what if I was to touch that certain spot that always makes you melt? Would you hate it then?"_

__

"Don't you DARE, Leon! That spot is a symbol of my link to Mistress Frieda!"

__

"Well, I always did say you needed to be more accessible. What better way to start?" He gently brushed the red dot with his paw, chuckling when Cleo trembled involuntarily. _"There, you see? Not so hostile now, are you?"_

Cleo closed her eyes and whimpered. _"Fine, you insensitive barbarian. You've just ruined ten years of the love Mistress Frieda shared with me. I hope you're happy!"_

Leon didn't seem to be amused. _"Well, good. The color red never suited you. I always thought you'd look better with a black dot, anyway…"_

Cleo's eyes widened in shock. _"Leon…you…y-you wouldn't dare!"_

__

"Oh, please, Cleo. Why do you think Frieda and Gary raised us to be exact opposites? They knew each of us would cling to only one of them, and that eventually, he would come to our world to be with her. And can you guess what they had in store for us?"

Cleo shook her head violently. _"No! NO! I won't believe it! You're…lying! Mistress Frieda would never do that to me!"_

__

"Don't be stupid. She's always saying how you're her best Pokémon. Don't you think she'd want you to have an egg? Imagine it, Cleo. An Eevee with both our talents would be a formidable one. And who knows what it might become when it evolved?"

__

"Even if Mistress Frieda did want me to have an egg, what would possibly possess her to think YOU would make a good father?"

Leon laughed. _"Well, why don't you ask Eve?"_  


Cleo's eyes widened. _"No…she…it couldn't be…not her…?"_

Leon smirked. _"Maybe she is, and maybe she isn't. The point is, we were exposed to her for a reason. Are you saying you never even thought of having an egg when you looked at her, Cleo?"_

Cleo fell silent. Now that she thought about it, being around Eve HAD given her ideas…but she'd always pushed them away immediately. Mainly because Leon was the only other Eevee evolution she'd encountered, and Cleo didn't want Frieda thinking she was interested in him. She wasn't. She couldn't be. Leon lived to annoy, infuriate, and frighten her. Cleo could understand if Gary had suggested the idea…but her own kind, loving trainer? The thought was too horrible to imagine.

__

"Think what you want of the idea, Cleo. Either way, you're staying here until they get back."

Cleo frowned. _"Mistress Frieda will be angry."_

__

"She'll get over it. We both know Gary's the best person for this job." Leon yawned and rested his head on her shoulder. _"Better get some rest, Pretty Cleo. You're going to need it."_

Cleo's eyes narrowed dangerously. _"What is THAT supposed to mean?"_

Leon chuckled. _"You naughty little girl, Cleo. I only meant that we'd be going on a trip soon. What did you think I meant?"_

Cleo hissed at him before resting her head on her paws. _"Oh, shut up."_

__

"Love you, too, dear."

* * * * *

__

"Gary…do you…like Frieda?"

He paused and looked at Eve, who had returned to his shoulder as they'd gone deeper into the tunnel. "What makes you ask?"

__

"Nothing." Eve concentrated, and the yellow gem on her collar pulsed, filling the tunnel with bright, yellow light.

"I guess I do, girl. But why do you want to know?"

Eve ducked her head. _"Well…I was just curious. I like her, too."_

"Oh? Why's that?"

__

"She's nice to me. And she knows how to scratch that spot behind my ear almost as good as you do."

Gary didn't say anything. The tunnel was starting to grow narrow, and he thought he could see a light other than Eve's up ahead.

Eve saw it, too, and her collar instantly stopped glowing. _"I hear a voice…but it's a man, not Frieda."_

Gary nodded and carefully slid toward the end of the tunnel. His ears weren't as sharp as Eve's, but soon he heard the voice, too.

"…that's why no one else can know about this, Frieda. I'm taking a big risk even by telling you. Every new person that learns of this world puts themselves in grave danger. This organization is ruthless when it comes to eliminating threats."

"Don't worry, Professor Elm. I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."

"Please be extremely careful, Frieda. I want to see your face again…"

"Don't worry, sir. You will." Frieda closed the laptop and sighed. "But I can't just sneak off without saying anything. Monica will be sore enough since she had to take my day. She and the others will start to worry, and…Gary…I can't just leave him here without an explanation."

"Then don't."

Frieda shrieked in surprise and spun around, nearly spilling out of her chair. "Gary! What are you doing down here?!"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Frieda." Gary crossed his arms over his chest. "What was that all about?"

"H-How much did you hear?"

"Not important. It sounds like you're risking your life."

Frieda sighed. "You weren't supposed to know."

"So you were just going to disappear?" Gary asked. "Just like that?"

"Why not? You did."

"You know it's not the same, Frieda."

"Isn't it? Everything's the same, Gary."

"No, it isn't," he snapped. "I didn't come into this world alone. You brought me. Do you really think I'd step into the time stream without guidance? But you're doing this alone, aren't you?" 

"You don't understand, Gary. This is dangerous, but I HAVE to do it!"

"Then make me understand, Frieda. Tell me everything."

"Why should I?"

Gary frowned. "Because if there's a chance I'm never going to see you again, I at least want to know what I'm losing you to."

Frieda sighed in frustration. "Gary…I can't. I want to, but I can't."

Gary stepped forward and cupped Frieda's chin in his hand. "Can't…or won't?"

Frieda tried to turn away.

"Tell me, Frieda. Please."

Eve hopped onto Frieda's shoulder and licked her cheek.

Frieda sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll tell you everything. But there's nothing you can say to stop me from going."

"I know you're going," Gary replied, releasing her chin. "Because I'll be there, too."

Frieda's eyes widened. "What? But you don't even know what we're up against!"

Gary smiled. "You said we. You want me to go."

Frieda blushed. "I just…it's dangerous, Gary."

"I know. But you name one person you'd rather have on your side in a fight."

"That's easy. Lance."

Gary glared at her. "A person you KNOW personally."

"Okay, okay! But don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't. Let's talk."

* * * * *

As it turned out, Frieda didn't know everything about her mission yet. Once she called Professor Elm back and explained the situation, things took a bad turn.

"What?! Frieda, you swore to me no one would find out!"

"I'm sorry, sir! I didn't know Gary was-"

"STOP!" Professor Elm's eyes widened. "Did…you say…Gary…?"

Frieda looked puzzled and glanced at Gary. "Yes, but what does that matter?"

"Put him on the phone, Frieda. This could be a matter of life and death."

Frieda blinked and stepped away from the computer. "He wants to talk to you."

Gary didn't recognize the man on the screen, but then, he didn't expect to. However, the same could not be said for Professor Elm, who turned a ghostly shade of white.

"Dear God," he whispered. "It's…you. It's really you!"

"Who?!" Frieda cried, shoving her way back into the screen.

"Not now, Frieda. You and…Gary…must come to my lab at once. We'll go over the assignment in greater detail there. I'll be waiting." With that, the screen went blank.

"That's strange. I've never seen Professor Elm look so scared before."

Gary shrugged. "Well, it's not my fault. I've never been here."

Frieda stared at him. "No…I guess you haven't. C'mon, let's move."

* * * * *

When Professor Elm found Gary and Frieda on his doorstep, he reacted in much the same way he had on the vid-phone. "I just can't believe you're here," he kept saying as he led them down to his storage cellar.

"Well, I am. So what's with this mission that could get Frieda killed?" Gary received an elbow in the ribs for that one, but he ignored it. 

"I must admit it would be very dangerous…for anyone that decided to risk the journey." Professor Elm sighed. "But…it must be done. The fate of two worlds is in jeopardy, and waiting any longer would only invite more trouble."

"More? You mean there's already been trouble?"

"Yes, I'm afraid." Professor Elm placed a small object in Gary's hand. "Last week, one of my Pokémon discovered this in the Ilex Forest."

Gary stared at the item in his palm. It appeared to be nothing more than a bunch of fish scales with a red tint to them. "Um…so two worlds are in danger because a bunch of Magikarp decided to walk on land?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Gary. First, those aren't from a Magikarp. They're from a Gyarados. More importantly, a red one."

"There's no such thing."

"That USED to be true. It's not anymore. And what's worse, not only is it a red Gyarados scale, but it's one from another world entirely."

Gary blinked. "Okay. Still waiting on the dangerous part, Elm."

"As a time traveler yourself, you should know the implications. When worlds start bleeding into one another, it can only mean that they will eventually combine…and usually with catastrophic results. And THAT's not the worse part."

"Professor Elm's more worried about the world we'd be combining with," Frieda explained. "It's, for lack of a better term, evil."

"That's enough, Frieda," Professor Elm interrupted. "I'll tell him the story."

* * * * *

June 17th, 2000.

It wasn't a particularly important day…until that year, anyway.

It was the day that one world was plunged forever into darkness, and all because of a twelve-year old boy who learned a terrible secret. The boy couldn't have known what the revelation would mean for him or the entire world. It was nothing he'd asked for directly…but then, how could a young boy born to a single mother not wonder who his father was?

The boy's name was Ash Ketchum…but then, it was also Gary Oak…

Ash knew something was wrong the instant he walked into the house. Despite the mouth-watering aroma of his mother's deep dish chili cheese pizzas, something just felt…off.

"Oh, there you are, sweetie!" Mrs. Ketchum said as he walked into the kitchen. "I was just about to call you. Will Misty and Brock be joining us for dinner?"

"No, they went back to their own gyms for a while," Ash replied, frowning a bit. "Mom…is something wrong?"

"Wrong? What do you mean, honey? Did you not want pizza tonight?"

"No, you know I love your pizza, Mom. It's just…well, forget it. It's probably nothing."

But all through dinner, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Even after he'd washed up and gotten ready for bed, there was an uneasy pain in the pit of his stomach, and something told him it wasn't chili cheese.

"I know something's weird, Pikachu," Ash said to his best friend and Pokémon later that night. "I just don't know what."

Tired from the day's activities, Pikachu replied, "Kachu, Pikapi." (Maybe you should sleep on it, Ash.)

"Yeah. You're probably right. Night, Pikachu."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Ash? Are you still awake?"

"Yeah, Mom. What is it?"

"Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight. I've got a big day planned tomorrow."

Ash blinked in surprise, but answered, "Okay, Mom."

The following morning, Ash was more than surprised to find Misty, Brock, Gary, and Professor Oak in the kitchen. His mother, however, was strangely quiet. But then, everyone was, as if they knew something he didn't. They did, of course.

After breakfast, Professor Oak led the four teens back to his lab, where he offered something of an explanation.

"There's no easy way to say this, Ash, so I'll just be frank." The older man sighed, and it was clear that whatever he had to say was not pleasant.

"What is it, Professor?" Ash asked, already dreading the answer.

Professor Oak looked him straight in the eye. "It's…your father, Ash. He wants to meet you. All of you."

"A-All?" Ash repeated, clearly in shock.

"He's been watching you," Gary said without the slightest hint of arrogance. "He's got it in his head that we're the people who influence you the most, so he wants to meet us all."

It made sense….sort of. Brock's wisdom and good cooking had sustained Ash more times than he could remember. Misty's advice and constant fights had been equally important, in a way. And Gary's challenges never seemed to end. They'd all helped him become a better trainer, and shaped him to be what he was. 

"A limousine will be arriving within the hour," Professor Oak added.

"My…father," Ash whispered, staring at the floor.

Misty reached over and squeezed his hand. "You don't have to do it, Ash. But if you do, we'll be right beside you."

"Every step of the way," Brock agreed.

Gary didn't say anything, but it could be assumed he was curious as to the kind of man Ash's father was. The part about the limo hadn't exactly discouraged him, either.

"Thanks, guys," Ash muttered. "But…I just don't know…what to say to him…"

"You don't have to say anything," Misty pointed out. "He's the one with explaining to do, not you."

"The redhead's right," Gary said. "If he's been watching you this whole time, he should know enough. Especially if he knew about us. Time to let him step into the light."

Ash looked at his rival with obvious surprise. "You want to meet him, too?"

Gary shrugged. "He might as well meet the person keeping his kid from being Pallet's best trainer."

Later that afternoon, the four teens stepped into a limo. It was the last time anyone would see them for three years.

* * * * *

"The next time the Pallet Four, as the media began to call them, did appear, they were not the same people that disappeared that day. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gary were gone for good. Since the first day of the Indigo League-Team Rocket merger, there has only been Satoshi, Kasumi, and Shigeru. Brock's whereabouts have never been determined, but it's assumed he wouldn't go along with whatever they were planning." 

"And no one did anything?" Gary asked.

"Well, no. There was nothing they COULD do. According to police, Giovanni was the legal guardian of all three teens. And it wasn't like they were being held against their will. They were interviewed several times, but all of them said they wished to stay with the Rocket League."

"Most likely brainwashing, and lots of it," Frieda suggested. "Giovanni would have unlimited access to psychic Pokémon."

"What about Ash's mother and Gary's sister?" Frieda asked.

"Both missing, no leads," Professor Elm replied. "Before you ask, Misty's sisters closed down their gym after she joined the Rocket League. Brock's family has been searching for years with no luck."

"So everyone in the Pokémon League stayed after the merger?" Gary asked.

"Oh, no. Certainly not. Many quit the instant Lance went into negotiations with Giovanni. Sabrina was one of the strongest voices against the merger, and she left to start her own gym. Lance is the only member of the original Elite Four that still remains, although he got a promotion to the Board of Directors."

Gary frowned. "So who make up the Elite Four now…or do they even exist?"

"Oh, they exist, Gary. I think you'll find them very familiar." Professor Elm rummaged through his files, and finally located a photo on his desk. "This is a picture of the Rocket League's Board of Directors and the Elite _Five_ as they were a year ago."

The first people Gary recognized were Cassidy and Butch. He remembered seeing them in the news a few times, usually for scams involving Pokémon. Both appeared to be very confident in the picture.

The person in the middle was, without a doubt, Ash. He looked strangely alien without his League cap, and his features were hard, almost as if chiseled in stone. In the picture, he was standing in front of Giovanni, a position which implied his rank. Giovanni's hand was resting on Ash's shoulder.

Next to Ash was Misty. Instead of her usual one-sided ponytail, she'd let her hair grow well past her shoulders. Gary was surprised to find himself admitting she was much more attractive that way…and then he realized why.

The final person in the front row had one arm wrapped possessively around Misty's waist. He was slightly taller than Ash, and he wore a smile that personified confidence.

"It's…me," Gary whispered. 

"Yes, Gary. That's why you're perfect for this mission," Professor Elm replied. "Shigeru vanished shortly after this picture was taken."

Gary looked back, noticing something he'd overlooked. "Who's that girl on the other side of Giovanni?"

"That's Clair," Frieda replied. "Former Blackthorne City Gym Leader. She and Lance trained together as kids. She's into dragon types, too."

"And now she's on the Board of Directors with him. Figures." Gary squinted. "Hey…what's that thing around Ash's neck?"

"A pokeball in its smaller form. You'll notice that Misty, Cassidy, Lance, and Clair have them as well. It's a known fact that Team Rocket…acquired the legendary birds before the merger. There's a rumor that Giovanni gave them to his Elite." 

"So you want me to pose as Shigeru, infiltrate the Rocket League, and do what, exactly?" Gary asked.

"Well, if there is any truth to the rumor about the legendary birds, your first priority would be to free them. We're assuming that Giovanni has somehow brainwashed the remaining members of the Pallet Four. My guess is that because Shigeru was exceptionally strong-willed, the brainwashing wore off and he escaped. Your task is to free Satoshi and Kasumi so that they can think for themselves again."

"But if they're working for Giovanni, why would they listen to me?"

Professor Elm smiled. "Well, at the time of this picture, Shigeru and Kasumi were something of an item. Plus, Shigeru and Satoshi were like brothers. They are the two people that knew him best. With any luck, you won't have to win their trust again. It's Giovanni and the others you'll have to work hard to convince."

"Ultimately, your goal is simple," Frieda said. "All you have to do is make that world as similar to this one as possible."

"Easier said than done," Gary replied, staring at the picture. "Much easier…"

* * * * *

Gary had studied every bit of information Professor Oak had gathered on Shigeru, the Rocket League, and the new world in general. For the first time in his life, Gary knew he was walking into something very dangerous…and he wasn't afraid. He was calm and collected. And for some reason, he couldn't sleep.

That turned out to be a good thing, because Frieda came to see him a little after midnight.

"Can't sleep?" she asked, sitting beside him on the couch.

"Don't want to," Gary muttered, going through the files again.

"Gary…this could be the last time we see each other."

He looked up. "You don't think I can do it?"

"That's not the point, Gary. Even if you can, there's no guarantee you'll get back here safely."

"I know that, Frieda. It doesn't bother me."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You mean…you don't care if you come back or not?"

"No, I mean it won't affect what I'm doing. I want to come back, but that's just a bonus I'm trying not to look forward to. In case I don't make it back, I don't want to be disappointed."

"Oh." Frieda was quiet for a moment. "Gary, I know there's nothing I could say to change your mind, but…"

"You're not going with me, Frieda. This is a one man job and you know it."

"I know. That's why…I want you to have these." She took his hand and placed three small pokeballs in it.

Gary stared at her. "You might never see them again."

She nodded. "I just…want you to be safe, Gary. This way, you'll have something to remember me by."

"I could never forget you, Frieda. You know that."

"Actually…you could." Frieda looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Professor Elm says that the journey to the new world alone could erase all of your memories of us. That's why I'm so worried that you won't come back. You might not remember to…"

Gary pressed his hand against her cheek. "I'll do my best to come back to you. That's all I can promise."

Frieda covered his hand with her own. "I'll miss you so much, Gary." She choked back a sob and closed her eyes.

Gary hesitated, then finally drew her into his arms. "Don't cry, Frieda. Everything will work out."

"I want to believe that," she whispered. "I really do."

* * * * *

The next morning, Professor Elm woke Gary up at dawn. Though he was tired, Gary didn't complain.

Within an hour, he found himself back in Ilex Forest, following the directions that Elm had given him. He was expecting to find a transport of some kind, but the directions only led him to a large tree in the heart of the forest.

Gary was just thinking of turning around when he sensed something watching him. He couldn't explain how he knew, but he knew he wasn't alone. 

Then the bushes in front of him parted to reveal a strange green creature. It had been perfectly camouflaged with the underbrush, and the only exception was its large, unblinking eyes, surrounded by dark circles. It wasn't very large, possibly the size of a small child, and had a bulb-like body and head. The creature walked right up to him, circling him a few times before stopping in front of him. Two vines with leaves on the ends emerged from its shoulders, and they waved about in a strange, surreal pattern. 

Gary slowly reached for his newly updated Pokédex and pointed it at the creature. He wasn't surprised by the description that came back.

"Unknown Pokémon species. No data available."

Gary was just about to pull out Eve's pokeball when he remembered Frieda's words. She'd said that she traveled between worlds by praying to the forest guardian, whatever it was. And then she'd mentioned someone named Sally just after they arrived in the future, but she wouldn't say who Sally was. It didn't take Gary long to guess the forest guardian's identity.

He licked his lips and looked down at the creature, who was currently inspecting the grass. "Sally?"

The creature stood up and looked at him expectantly, flapping its small wings twice.

"Well, look. If you really are the forest guardian, I could use your help."

The creature tilted its head and continued staring, which Gary took to mean, "Huh?"

"I guess you don't understand me. Maybe one of my Pokémon speaks your language."

Seconds later, Eve popped out of her pokeball.

"Eve, I need you to talk to her. Tell her we need her help."

Eve ran up the creature and tried to communicate, but it seemed to be ignoring her.

Gary guessed the problem, though. "Try using your Leaf Stone, girl."

The green stone on Eve's EvoRing pulsed brightly, and the creature instantly started paying attention.

After a few minutes of squeaks and purring, Eve hopped on Gary's shoulder. _"Her name is Sally. She's a…or maybe the…Celebi. She is the forest guardian, but she won't help us unless we can prove we have good intentions. I told her we were Frieda's friends, but that's not enough."_

"Well, we can't go back and get Frieda, but I have an idea." Gary pulled out another pokeball and released Frieda's Espeon.

__

"Something wrong, Trainer Gary?" Cleo asked. Then she noticed Sally. _"Oh, I see."_

"Cleo, please tell Sally that we're not enemies. Tell her Frieda's counting on us."

__

"Certainly, Gary. Just a minute."

It was another few minutes, but Cleo appeared to have convinced Sally.

__

"She'll help us, Trainer Gary. But she has some…terms, which will have to wait until we've arrived. Don't worry, it's nothing too drastic." Before Gary could ask, Cleo returned to her pokeball.

Sally then pointed at Eve with her vines and made a rustling sound.

__

"She wants me to go back into my pokeball, Gary."

Gary nodded. "Go ahead, girl. It's probably for your own good."

Eve nuzzled his cheek. _"Be careful,"_ she squeaked before being recalled.

Sally motioned for Gary to sit down, which he did with no complaints. Then she covered his eyes with her leaves, and he felt her weight (which actually wasn't much) in his lap. He wasn't sure how long they sat there until the world began to spin, but sleep came and took him before he could think about anything else.

* * * * * 

Continued in Chapter 3: Return to Rocket

The Rocket League's Butch & Cassidy are ambushed by a mysterious girl that wants to be their newest gym leader. Meanwhile, Gary is welcomed into a vastly different Indigo Plateau, but to prove his worth, he must defeat Kasumi, former love of Shigeru. 


	3. Return to Rocket

Note: In this world, the G/S Pokémon are still being discovered

Note: In this world, the G/S Pokémon are still being discovered. So for several of them (especially the dark types), characters won't have a clue what they're fighting (which just adds to the fun, in my opinion). I've heard Entei, Suicine, and Raikou referred to as cats, dogs, and beasts, but I'm assuming they're felines, since powerful cats (and birds) seem to be a recurring theme with legendary Pokémon (and since I saw Suicine on the Johto Journeys; he looked a little too graceful to be a dog).

Psuedo Shigeru 

Chapter 3: Return to Rocket

__

"Gary? Can you hear me?"

Seconds later, Gary finally opened his eyes. "Eve? What…happened?"

__

"Sally's work is done. We're in the new world." She licked his cheek. _"Can you stand?"_

Gary grunted and sat up. "Yeah, I'm just a little dizzy. Where is Sally, anyway?"

__

"Over there," Eve replied. _"The trip took a lot out of her."_

Gary looked over to see Sally propped up against a tree. Her breathing was shallow, and her eyes were half-closed. He slowly crawled over to her and placed a hand on her head. "Sally? You okay?"

Sally's leaves waved slightly.

__

"She's exhausted, Gary. She needs to rest."

"But we can't just leave her here, Eve. Someone might find her, and we don't need another legendary to rescue." Gary carefully cradled Sally in his arms. "If only there was a way to get her into a Pokémon Center without anyone seeing…wait, what am I thinking? She'd have to go into a pokeball first, and—"

Sally made a rustling noise and brushed her leaves against Gary's cheek.

__

"Gary…I think she WANTS to go into a pokeball," Eve replied, sounding surprised.

Gary blinked. "Is that true, Sally? You wanna come with us?"

Sally nodded before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

__

"She can use my pokeball until you get some more," Eve offered. "It's not like I use it much."

"Thanks, girl. I'll stock up in the first town we reach." Gary pulled out a pokeball, smiling as Sally was pulled inside of it. "Welcome to the team, Sally."

Eve hopped onto his shoulder. _"So, where to first?"_

"According to Professor Elm, Crimson City should be a few miles to the north. That's our first stop."

__

"And then?"

Gary smiled thinly. "Based on the reactions I get in town, we'll figure out how much influence Shigeru had…and still has…in this neck of the woods. If it's enough, we're going straight to the Rocket League."

* * * * *

"I don't like it, Butch. Something's not right."

Butch glanced at his partner as they walked through the large building. "You always say that. Stop being paranoid."

"I was right about the last one," Cassidy pointed out. "And the one before it."

"Look, the boss told us to recruit new gyms, and we haven't found a suitable one yet. I'm not telling him we failed because you got nervous. You'd have to tell him yourself."

The orange-haired woman sighed. "Fine. The gym has been more than satisfactory so far..."

Butch clapped her on the shoulder. "Now there's the Cassidy I'm proud to call my partner."

"I trust the gym meets your standards?" a voice behind them asked.

Butch & Cassidy turned to see a small girl staring up at them. She wore a pink dress with a matching bow that secured her dark hair in a long braid, which almost reached her knees.

"Oh, the gym itself is excellent," Cassidy replied.

"However, it's time to see if your Pokémon make the grade," Butch sneered.

"As you wish, Master Butch," the girl replied. "How many?"

"Only two. Or is that a problem?"

"No problem at all, sir."

Butch glared at her. "Very well. Go, Raticate!" 

A large Raticate popped out, chomping its huge fangs in anticipation.

The girl didn't seem to be intimidated as she drew out her own pokeball. "Girafig, go."

Butch blinked as something that looked like a giraffe came out of the pokeball.

"It's one of the newer ones," Cassidy said. "A psychic type."

"Soon to be a fainted type. Raticate, tackle it!" Butch shouted.

Raticate growled and charged at its opponent.

The girl smiled. "Future Sight."

Girafig closed its eyes.

"What is it doing?" Butch asked.

Seconds later, Raticate slammed into Girafig.

"Forget it. This match is over. Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Raticate sunk its teeth into the helpless Girafig's neck, savagely swinging it around.

The girl still didn't look worried. "Girafig, Stomp."

Girafig drove its hooves into Raticate, knocking it back a few feet.

"Nice try," Butch chuckled. "Finish it with Super Fang!"

Raticate growled and leaped onto Girafig again. The time, the psychic Pokémon didn't stand a chance.

The girl calmly recalled Girafig. "Good job. Now it's your turn, Haunter."

Butch lost a little of his confidence as the ghost Pokémon appeared. "Raticate, Super Fang, quick!"

Raticate dove at Haunter, but it avoided the attack and fought back with Confuse Ray.

The girl giggled. "Hypnosis."

Haunter's disembodied hands waved in a peculiar pattern, and Raticate stopped in its tracks.

"Snap out of it, Raticate!" Butch shouted.

"Not this time, Master Butch. Haunter, Dream Eater."

Haunter flew forward, widening his mouth until he could swallow Raticate whole. But instead, the rat seemed pass through him. Raticate shuddered as if hit by a cold wind, then dropped to the floor.

Butch growled and recalled Raticate. "Weezing, GO!"

Weezing burst from its pokeball, instantly filling the room with a foul stench.

Butch smiled. "Weezing…Fire Blast."

Weezing's faces twisted as it spat out the powerful attack, which mowed Haunter down.

The girl recalled Haunter. "Good job, Haunter. I'm very proud of you."

"I don't see why. You lost." Butch chuckled, patting one of Weezing's heads. "Nobody beats Weezing."

"I feel sorry for you, Master Butch. Surely one such as yourself knows the importance of losing. A Pokémon should fight for its trainer, and it will fight harder to avenge a loss and its trainer. At least, mine will. But if you don't know that, I suppose Mistress Cassidy is the brains of the duo…"

Butch's lips formed a grim smile. "You…little…brat. Do you know who I am?"

"I suppose you're going to tell me either way, just to hear yourself talk. But then, if you knew what you sounded like, you'd probably strangle yourself."

Cassidy actually snickered at that one.

Butch's eyes narrowed. "For that, Little Miss Wanna-Be Gym Leader…you die. Weezing, Hyper Beam."

Weezing's largest head let loose with a wide beam of destructive light.

The girl smiled. "Mirror Coat."

A blue shape zipped out of the darkness and landed in front of her.

The Hyper Beam hit its targets…then turned back on the sender. Weezing barely had time to grunt in surprise before it was slammed into the wall by its own attack.

"Weezing! No!" Butch cried in disbelief.

When the smoke cleared, Butch & Cassidy could see a strange blue Pokémon standing in front of the girl, arms outstretched. "Wooooooob," it said, glaring at them.

"Stand down, Wobbuffet," the girl said, touching its back. "And thank you."

Butch recalled Weezing. "Okay, kid. NOW you've done it!"

"Actually, you have. No doubt, you've woken up my big sister with all the noise, and she hates to be disturbed."

"Then let her try and stop us."

"Very well," a familiar voice whispered.

Butch's eyes widened as he spun around. "No. NO. You're…DEAD! YOU'RE DEAD!"

"I think," Sabrina said as she walked through the doorway, "that the reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated, Butch. After all, you DID write them."

"I…I killed you!" Butch screamed.

"You didn't do a very good job. But thanks for reminding me." Sabrina's eyes glowed bright blue.

Butch's face turned white. "Oh, SHI—"

"GET DOWN!" Cassidy shouted, shoving her partner aside.

The Future Sight finally came from above, slamming into the floor with the force of a runaway train. Seconds later, an Alakazam twice Sabrina's size floated down from the ceiling, pointing its spoons at Butch & Cassidy. "Kazam," it growled.

"When this is over, remind me NEVER to evaluate a gym with you, Butch," Cassidy muttered. 

Sabrina sighed. "Psychic."

Butch whimpered. "Mommy…!"

* * * * *

"Check."

The young man frowned, running a hand through his thick bush of black hair. 

"Problem?"

He grunted, then took his opponent's attacking knight with a well-placed rook.

Then it was Lance's turn to grunt. He could see no way to get his queen to safety.

"Problem?"

Lance glared at him, then smirked triumphantly as he moved his own rook into place. "Checkmate. I win again, little brother."

"I'll beat you one day. Maybe."

"When that day comes, I'll make you League Master."

"Seriously?"

"Sure. Not like you'll ever beat me, anyway."

The young man frowned.

"Don't feel too bad, little brother. You don't need to be me, or as good as me. You only need to be better than Kasumi."

"Why's that?"

"Because ever since Shigeru left, she's been the only threat to your position, whether she knows it or not."

"Kasumi would never-"

"Yeah, I know. But Giovanni might, if the notion ever struck him. So watch yourself." Lance looked up as a green light flashed above the door. "Hmm. Got a visitor. And with Level 6 Clearance, no less."

"Kasumi," the boy confirmed without looking up.

The door slid open, revealing the aforementioned girl.

"How do you DO that?" Lance asked.

The boy smirked. "Didn't anyone tell you? I'm psychic."

"No, you just know Butch & Cassidy too well. They'd never complete an evaluation that fast."

Kasumi cleared her throat. "Excuse me, boys. Lance, I need to borrow Satoshi for a minute."

Lance stood up. "Remember what I said, little brother." He left, nodding to Kasumi on his way out.

Kasumi sat down in Lance's seat, her gaze settling on the chessboard as Satoshi moved the pieces back to their original places. "Lost again, huh?"

"Afraid so." He looked up at her. "Something wrong?"

Kasumi hesitated. "Not exactly. Well…it's more like…um…"

"Let me guess." Satoshi moved the final pawn. "It's not important to the Rocket League, but it's important to you."

"Exactly."

"Hmm. Tell me."

Kasumi sighed. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"No. Tell me."

"I had the dream again."

Satoshi blinked. "And he came back."

She nodded.

He stared at her for a long moment. "What do you want me to say, Kasumi?"

"Tell me you don't think it'll happen."

"What I think about it isn't important. It's your dream."

"What you think IS important, Satoshi. What if he DOES come back? What would you do?"

"You really want to know?" he asked.

"Yes, I really do."

Satoshi closed his eyes. "Fine. I'd walk up to him, look him straight in the eye, and say…"

Kasumi stared at him expectantly. "Say what?"

"That he was an incredible, yet generous, idiot."

"Generous?"

Satoshi nodded and opened his eyes. "An idiot, for leaving you here. Generous…for leaving you here…with me."

Kasumi turned bright red. "Satoshi…"

"Satoshi, you're needed in Lab 2 at once," the intercom interrupted.

He sighed and stood up. "Duty calls. Will you—"

She smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Satoshi. Go."

Satoshi leaned over and brushed her lips with a light kiss before heading into the hallway.

Kasumi blushed again, but managed to hide it better that time. She sighed and headed back to her room. "I just hope it was only a dream…"

* * * * *

"Why didn't you tell me Future Sight was a time-delayed attack?!"

Cassidy glared at her partner. "Would you have listened if I'd tried?"

Butch opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it as he heard voices on the other side of the bushes.

"Are you sure about this, Sylvie?"

"I know I saw them go this way. You picking up anything, Abra?"

Cassidy risked a peek between under the hedges. The Abra sitting on the girl's shoulders was scanning the bushes, and it was only a matter of time before he picked up their thought patterns. She fell back and tried to estimate which of her Pokémon could survive a strong psychic attack. She'd just decided on Onix when she first noticed the black creature next to her.

It was the size of an average dog, with skin the color of the darkest night. There were bright orange rings around its long ears, legs, tail, and one resting in the center of its forehead. Its eyes were crimson, and they gave off a faint glow.

Cassidy slowly pointed her Pokédex at the creature.

"Unknown Pokémon species/type. No data available."

Cassidy was so busy staring at it that she hadn't realized the voices were fading.

"Sorry, big sister. I thought for sure we'd get them this time."

"Don't worry, Sylvie. With the Rocket League, there's always a next time."

The creature's eyes suddenly stopped glowing, and it turned to look at Cassidy.

"What the heck is that thing?" Butch whispered.

"I don't know," Cassidy admitted. "But…somehow…I think it kept Sabrina and the brat from finding us."

"You'd be right," said a voice behind her.

Cassidy leaped to her feet, already swinging her arm so that it would connect with a particularly sensitive spot on the intruder's body. Of course, all she connected with was a firm grip.

"Relax, Cassidy. It's me."

She blinked at stared at the intruder, her jaw dropping in disbelief. "Shi…Shigeru?"

"This night is just getting worse by the minute," Butch muttered.

"Great to see you guys again, too." He released Cassidy's arm. "Oh, that's Leon," he added, indicating the black creature at his feet. "I assume you don't have time for introductions right now. Let's go."

Butch stepped forward. "Hold it. You've been gone for years, and now you just pop up and expect us to follow you? You could be working with Sabrina for all we know." 

"Then why would I keep her from finding you?"

"To look convincing," Butch sneered.

"Fine. You want convincing?" Gary smirked. "I'll take out any Pokémon you have right now, only using Leon. In fact, I'll take out all of BOTH your Pokémon using just him." 

Butch was already reaching for his pokeballs, but Cassidy grabbed his arm. "Hold it, cowboy. Two of them have already been destroyed tonight." She smiled a bit. "Besides, nobody but Shigeru could ever boast that big. It's gotta be him."

Gary ran a hand through his hair. "So. What have I missed?"

"Let me tell him. Oh, PLEASE, let me tell him," Butch begged, grinning evilly.

"No, you'd enjoy it too much." Cassidy turned back to Gary, her eyes filling with sadness. "Shigeru…um…about Kasumi…"

"What about her? Is she okay?" he asked, his voice filling with concern.

"No, no; she's fine, just fine. But…well…after you left, she was heartbroken, and—"

"And your best friend was there to pick up the pieces, and then some," Butch added with a derisive grin.

Cassidy elbowed him in the ribs. "Kasumi was lonely, Shigeru. She needed someone, and Satoshi…you know how he's always been in love with her."

"And vice versa." Gary started to growl, but let it die in his throat. "Yeah. I knew." He shrugged. "He'll take care of her, though. That's what matters. Besides, she could've done a lot worse." His gaze landed on Butch. "A WHOLE lot worse."

Butch started to reply, but Cassidy cut him off. "We'd better get back. The boss will want to see you."

"I bet he will," Gary chuckled as he fell in step beside her.

* * * * * 

"Magnificent," he whispered, placing his hand on the glass prison. "Simply…magnificent."

The creature behind the glass growled and roared at him, shaking the entire roam with its mighty cry.

Giovanni smiled. "Sorry, kitty. You're mine now. All of you." He slipped something out of his pocket and pointed it at the creature.

"Entei, the Volcano Pokémon. Very little is known about this elusive Pokémon, once thought to be responsible for Cinnabar Island's destruction. No further data available."

He put the Pokédex away. "We'll have to fix that, won't we, Entei? When I'm done, there will be plenty of data on you and your friends here."

As if they could understand his words, Suicine and Raikou both let out roars of rage, slamming their bodies against the glass. Entei, however, remained still, staring maliciously at his captor.

"Fight all you want, kittens. It didn't work for the first three legendary Pokémon I captured, and it certainly won't for you. I suggest you get some rest. The tests I have in mind won't be very comfortable."

"The tests will teach them to respect us, sir," said a voice behind him. "They are necessary."

Giovanni smiled. "Clair, my dear. I didn't hear you come in."

"No. I didn't want you to." She stopped by his left side. "They are beautiful. All except for that one."

Giovanni followed her gaze to Raikou's tube. "There's no need to be cruel, Clair. I doubt he had much choice in the matter."

"Looks like a Magcargo sat on his face."

Raikou growled softly, tiny sparks flying off his whiskers.

Suddenly, the door behind them slid open. Without turning, Giovanni said, "Over here, Satoshi. I want you to see this."

"Sir?" Satoshi came around to Giovanni's right side, stopping short when he saw the new acquisition. "You…finally caught Entei?"

"Oh, yes. He put up quite a fight. Injured thirteen of Kasumi's prize Gyarados, too."

Satoshi came closer and placed his hand against the glass.

Entei growled uncertainly for a moment, then settled down and was silent.

"You have a way with the legendary ones, don't you, Satoshi?" Clair asked.

He shrugged, staring at Entei. "I don't think so. But I understand them."

"Oh? And what is Entei thinking right now?"

Satoshi closed his eyes for a long moment, then chuckled. "I would put it into words, Clair, but unlike him, I'm actually quite fond of you."

Clair smiled evilly at Entei. "He'll hate me even more once the tests begin."

There was a loud beep, and a monitor lowered from the ceiling. The image fizzed for a moment, then cleared to show Cassidy's face.

"What is it, Cassidy?" Giovanni asked. "Have you evaluated that gym yet?"

Cassidy frowned. "Another trap, sir. The rebels."

Giovanni frowned. "Sabrina?"

Cassidy nodded.

"She's starting to become a real nuisance." He sighed and shook his head. "Anything else?"

Cassidy's lips twitched, almost as if she were hiding a smile. "Yes, sir. Some good news."

"Good?"

"It's…Shigeru, sir. He's back."

Giovanni's eyes widened. "What…did you say?"

Clair smirked. "Hmm. About time."

Satoshi's face didn't change, but he lowered his head. "Shigeru…"

Giovanni quickly regained his composure. "Where are you?"

"We'll be at the main compound in an hour, sir."

"Good. Good." Giovanni turned away from the screen as it vanished back into the ceiling. "Clair, inform Lance at once."

Clair smiled. "My pleasure, boss." She bowed and slipped back into the shadows.

Giovanni placed his hand on Satoshi's shoulder.

Satoshi straightened up at once. "Sir?"

"I know…you must have conflicting feelings about this, my boy."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't worry about it. Shigeru is precious to this organization…but so are you. No one will take your place. Ever. Do you understand?"

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, sir." He paused. "But…"

"What is it?"

"You…are going to test him, aren't you?"

Giovanni smiled. "I'd be a fool not to. But don't worry about that, either. I have a more important task for you. Kasumi will test him."

Satoshi started to speak, then decided against it.

Giovanni squeezed his shoulder. "I am proud of you…my son."

Satoshi nodded. "Thank you, father."

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 4: Kasumi's Challenge

Gary has convinced Butch & Cassidy, but there's only one way he can prove himself to Giovanni: by defeating Kasumi in a Pokémon battle. But Gary will find that Kasumi is much more than she seems. How will Kasumi & Satoshi react to their long-lost friend's supposed return, and what does the Rocket League have in store for the legendary felines? It'll be Gary's job to find out, and he better do it soon…


	4. Challenge of Kasumi

Chapter 4: Kasumi's Challenge

Chapter 4: Kasumi's Challenge

The Rocket League's Indigo Plateau was nothing like the one Gary remembered. About the only thing that hadn't changed was Victory Road. But the compound itself took up the whole plateau and spilled over to the three surrounding islands. One island had a large arena and a Pokémon Center. The next had a six-story office building, and the final island appeared to be nothing more than a huge forest, although there was a tiny building in the center of it.

"Hope you're ready for a battle," Cassidy said suddenly.

Gary turned to look at her. "Why?"

"Don't be stupid," Butch snapped. "You think you just walk back into the Rocket League? We've got to make sure you're still as good as we are. Just because you stopped training doesn't mean we did."

"Just because I left doesn't mean I stopped training," Gary replied. He reached down and scratched Leon's ears. "Ready for a battle, boy?"

Leon growled and leaned into Gary's fingers.

"We'll be landing in one minute," a voice said over the intercom. 

"So what do they call this thing?" Gary asked. "It's not a chopper, but it's not a plane, either."

Cassidy shrugged. "They don't really call it anything, except for the Dragon Fang. That's just what Lance and Clair call it, but since it doesn't have an official name, everyone calls it that."

The Dragon Fang landed a few seconds later, in a field outside of the arena.

"You'll be battling in there, Shigeru," Cassidy said. "We've got other things to attend to. There's no telling who you'll have to prove yourself against, so be prepared for anything."

Gary chuckled. "In that case, Leon might actually break a sweat."

"Glad to see you haven't lost your confidence. You're gonna need it."

"Personally, I hope it's Satoshi," Butch grunted. "I'd love to see him wipe the floor with you."

Gary remained silent as he entered the arena. He took a long look around, then sat down to wait for his opponent. A strong breeze suddenly hit him in the face, as if notifying him of how cold it was. He drew his hood over his head and wrapped an arm around Leon. "That's one thing I hate about bad guys. They love to kill you with suspense."

* * * * *

__

"Master Satoshi?"

Satoshi blinked several times and shook his head. "I told you a hundred times already. Just Satoshi when no one else is around."

__

"Sorry. The test is done."

"Really?"

__

"Yes. You fell asleep. Again."

Satoshi grunted. "Good work, Sentry. Put him back now."

Entei's unconscious body floated past him and carefully settled back in its unit.

Rubbing his eyes furiously, Satoshi stood up and stretched. "These late nights will be the end of me."

__

"I could recommend a vacation, if you like."

"No, Sentry. Then he'd have Clair doing the testing, and the last thing we need is a legendary going into shock again. It's hard enough to heal them when they're just tired."

__

"But you're the one that is tired, Satoshi. I can practically smell your fatigue…and your worry."

"I warned you about reading me, Sentry."

__

"You're worried Kasumi still loves him, aren't you?"

"Of course not," Satoshi replied, frowning. "I KNOW she still loves him. I'm worried that she'll see us as a…mistake."

__

"You could try impressing her with the bags under your eyes."

"Not funny." Satoshi reached over and hit a button on the wall. A monitor dropped down from the ceiling, revealing a clear aerial shot of the arena. "Hmm. Lance's aim is getting better."

__

"Clair's been helping him with it…among other things."

"I don't even WANT to know if you mean what I think you do, Sentry. I thought you psychics were supposed to be solemn and sincere?"

__

"I wouldn't be half as much fun then." Sentry pointed at the screen. _"You know…he was shorter when I last saw him."_

"It's been years, Sentry. People grow."

__

"Yeah. And split ends grow apart. Sound familiar?"

"Shut up."

* * * * *

Gary was just starting to nod off when he heard light footsteps. He slowly raised his head. "It's about time! I've been waiting here for…"

The girl standing over him was beautiful. It took him several seconds just to get past her face. It took even longer to keep from staring at the rest of her. The black, skintight uniform hugged in all the right places…and as far as Gary could see, there were no wrong places. She wore a black cloak over the uniform, with a bright blue RL emblazoned on the collar.

"Waiting here for what?" she asked, giving him a curious look.

Gary stood up and drew back his hood. "For you, of course."

She gasped and took a step back. "Shigeru…?!"

"Hey, Kasumi. You look good." He paused and made his ogling more obvious this time. "REAL good."

"There will be time for that later, Shigeru," Giovanni said as he appeared behind Kasumi. "For now, I think you should concentrate on the battle."

Gary nodded. "Hello, sir."

Giovanni returned the nod, then vanished. "I'll be watched closely. Make me proud…both of you."

"This is…unexpected," Kasumi said, a slight smile touching her lips. "But still very welcome."

"My return or the match?" Gary asked.

"Guess." She brushed a strand of red hair from her face. "You ready?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, babe. How many?"

"Six. No holding back because I'm pretty, right?"

"Then no crying when I win."

* * * * *

Gary wasn't surprised when Kasumi called out a Gyarados first. As long as most of her lineup was water-based, he was pretty sure he'd win. "Better start off strong, but not too strong." He grabbed a pokeball and threw.

There was a loud roar as his Nidoking emerged, stomping the ground and snorting.

Kasumi smirked. "Not the first thing I'd send against a Gyarados, but…Tackle it!"

The Gyarados shot forward with lighting speed, slamming into the Nidoking and pushing it back.

Gary shook his head and grinned. "Thunder."

Nidoking got a good grip on Gyarados and let loose with a powerful electric attack. Gyarados roared in pain, then collapsed with a loud thud.

"Good work, Nidoking!" Gary shouted as Kasumi recalled her fallen Gyarados.

Kasumi drew her second pokeball and gave it an affectionate kiss. "You won't beat this one with a Nidoking. Go, Lapras!"

The Lapras appeared and lifted its head high.

Gary frowned. "Thunder."

Kasumi smiled. "Not this time. Ice Beam!"

Before Nidoking could attack, it was frozen in its tracks. A quick Body Slam finished it off.

"That Lapras is at a really high level. Didn't want to use my electric types this early, but…" 

Gary sent out Eve next. 

"An Eevee? He must be up to something." Kasumi thought for a moment. "Lapras, Body Slam!"

Lapras launched itself into the air, headed straight for Eve.

"Counter!" Gary shouted.

Eve froze and lowered her head, forming an energy shield around herself. Lapras landed on her, and then was thrown backwards, landing on its back. Eve knocked it out with two Thundershocks.

"Hmm. High level, plus it knows some other element attacks." Kasumi thought for a long moment.

Gary smiled when the Blastoise appeared. "Eve, hit it with Thunder!"

"Blastoise, use Earthquake, and fast!"

Blastoise stomped the ground twice, then withdrew into its shell as the electric attack hit. Eve squealed as she was thrown off her feet. She crashed to the ground, panting heavily.

Gary scooped her up. "You okay, girl?"

__

"Yes…but I can still…battle…"

"That attack took a lot out of you, Eve. You should rest. Kasumi's Pokémon won't get any easier."

__

"…no, Gary! I have to fight…for you…"

He smiled and shook his head. "You already did, girl. I'm very proud of you. Besides, I've got four Pokémon left, while Kasumi's only got three and a wounded Blastoise." He raised a pokeball and recalled her, knowing she would never quit unless he did.

Kasumi smiled to herself. "He really does care about his Pokémon. But that doesn't mean he's changed enough to beat me."

Gary fingered his pokeballs. "I don't want to send out Marowak, not even against a hurt Blastoise. Time to see what you're made of, Cleo."

Cleo leaped onto the field, staring at the Blastoise shell, which hadn't moved in the last few seconds. _"Trainer Gary, I think it might be-"_

"Look out!" Gary shouted.

Cleo dove aside just as the Blastoise used Hydro Pump, flooding the entire battlefield.

"Use Confusion, and hurry!"

Cleo's eyes narrowed, and the red jewel on her forehead flared.

The Blastoise came out of its shell and promptly fainted.

Gary smiled as Cleo returned to his side. "Good job, Cleo." He reached down and scratched behind her ears.

Cleo purred silkily and waved her tails. _"You're quite good at that…"_

"Well, I did have a hand in raising you."

Kasumi's next choice was a Golduck.

Gary smirked. "Take a quick rest, Cleo. Leon, you're up."

__

"Finally," Leon growled.

Cleo frowned. _"You're replacing me with…with…HIM?"_

"Psychics are his specialty, Cleo." 

Leon glanced back at them and winked. _"Oh, she knows, Master Gary. She knows all too well…"_

Cleo hissed and turned her back. _"Savage!"_

Kasumi frowned. "Oh, great. Must be one of the newer ones Cassidy was talking about. But I've never seen that Pokémon before. Golduck, Psybeam!"

Gary chuckled. "You know what to do, Leon."

__

"Yeah. And here I thought you said this would be tough."

Golduck fired a Psybeam, but Leon didn't even slow down as he charged across the field.

"What?! Impossible!" Kasumi cried.

Leon struck with Faint Attack, scoring an instant knockout.

Kasumi recalled Golduck and sent out Jynx. "Lovely Kiss!"

The Jynx leaped at Leon, who barely dodged and hit it with another Faint Attack. Jynx fell, but slowly rose again. It countered with Blizzard, and this time, Leon couldn't escape its effects.

"Can you keep going, Leon?" Gary called.

__

"Don't insult me! I'm just getting started!" Leon darted forward took out Jynx with Bite.

Kasumi pulled out her last pokeball. "You've always been lucky before," she said quietly before tossing it out. "Don't let me down."

Gary blinked in shock as the Pokémon appeared. "What the heck is that thing?!"

__

"I believe it's a Togetic, Trainer Gary," Cleo replied. _"A normal type, and very rare, as I understand it."_

"Oh. Well…Leon, be ready for anything."

Kasumi smiled. "Togetic, show Shigeru why you're undefeated."

Togetic hopped forward and began to wave its tiny paws.

Gary watched in awe as the Togetic instantly fired a Solarbeam without even charging it first. Leon had no chance to dodge, and was slammed into the arena wall. He slumped to the ground and didn't move.

__

"Leon!" Cleo ran over to him and gently bumped his head with her nose. _"Can you hear me…?"_

Leon grunted and opened one eye. _"Y'know, that little thing's pretty sneaky."_

__

"Never mind that! Are you hurt?"

Leon smirked painfully. _"Duh. Why else wouldn't I have a witty comeback by now?"_

"Feel like avenging Leon, Cleo?" Gary asked. "Now's the time to say so."

Before Cleo could say anything, Leon grunted, _"Get your pretty butt out there and tear Spikey a new one. And make sure you wag it on the way out."_

Cleo actually smiled. _"I think I have the general idea, Leon."_ She leaned down and licked his cheek. _"You just promise me you'll try to get better instead pulling another stupid stunt."_

__

"Yeah, yeah. Go get 'em, Pretty Cleo."

But, much to Gary's surprise, Cleo didn't last much longer than Leon. Granted, it took both a Hyper Beam and a Fire Blast to put her down, and even then she wouldn't quit until Togetic had knocked her out with Double-Edge. Marowak suffered much the same fate, although it was a Hydro Pump and Crabhammer that defeated him.

Gary was down to his last Pokémon. "Using Sally's out of the question, but there is this last one Freida gave me. I don't even know what it is, but…" He shrugged and threw the pokeball.

A large Ampharos emerged. She blinked a few times and bleated.

Leon raised his head a bit. _"Marie? What are YOU doing here?!"_

"Something wrong?" Gary asked.

__

"Well…kinda. Marie is Mistress Frieda's first Pokémon."

"Good. Then let's hope she has tons of experience. Marie, Light Screen!"

A golden sphere formed around Marie as she waved her tail in anticipation.

Togetic fired a Hyper Beam, but Marie shrugged it off and hit him with a Thunderpunch.

"Togetic!" Kasumi cried. "Light Screen!"

Gary frowned. "Crap. So much for special attacks." Then he smiled as he spotted the pink bow around Marie's neck. "Marie, Attract!"

Marie's body began to glow with a golden light, and Togetic flew towards her a dreamy look on his face.

Gary waited until he was close enough. "Marie, use Swift…now!"

Marie blasted Togetic right in his face. He squealed and hit the dirt hard.

Kasumi ran onto the field and cradled Togetic in her arms. "Are you okay?" she whispered, tears falling down her face.

"To-ge," Togetic moaned before fainting.

Kasumi hugged him tightly. "Thank you. I'm so proud of you, Togetic."

Gary slowly walked up to her. "Kasumi…"

She quickly stood up and stepped back, moving Togetic to her left arm and wiping her face with her right arm. "You've…improved greatly, Shigeru," she said quietly. "It was…an honor to battle you." The words sounded forced and rushed, and he knew she'd said them automatically, more or less.

Gary's gaze traveled down to Togetic. "Will he be okay?"

Kasumi blinked a few times. "Togetic is stronger than he looks." She stretched out her hand.

Gary stared at her, then shook her hand. "You did very well yourself, Kasumi."

"You did better," she replied before walking away.

* * * * *

"He won," Clair said quietly.

"He did," Lance agreed.

"So what's that mean?"

"That he has the option of coming back. Of course, I can't imagine why he would return if that wasn't his purpose all along."

"Maybe he came back for Kasumi."

Lance shook his head. "Doubtful. Besides, she's with Satoshi now."

"Well, he has been gone for a long time."

"I'm sure Butch would've rubbed it in his face by now."

"You don't mind him coming back?"

"He's proven he still has the skills to be one of us. That's enough for now."

Clair nodded slowly as she mounted her Kingdra. "So we're in agreement?"

Lance nodded as well, swinging himself up on his Dragonite's back. "He's in."

With that, the two Dragon Masters turned and flew off into the night.

* * * * *

__

"She…lost?" Sentry asked in disbelief.

"Looks like it," Satoshi said, rubbing his chin. "Togetic's never been beaten before. I'd better go check on Kasumi. She'll take this hard."

__

"I can't believe she lost," Sentry muttered.

"It happens."

Sentry looked skeptical, even through the metallic armor covering most of his face and body. _"When's the last time it happened to you?"_

Satoshi blinked. "Don't remember."

__

"Funny. Neither do I, and I remember everything. Which means it doesn't happen to everyone."

"Never said it happened to everyone. Just said it happened." Satoshi stood up. "You'd better close up down here. Clair might do a surprise inspection."

Sentry nodded. _"Satoshi?"_

"Hmm?"

__

"If Shigeru could beat Kasumi…does that mean he could beat you, too?"

"Depends on which Pokémon he uses. You know I'm only allowed to have one-on-one battles."

__

"Why is that?"

Satoshi shrugged. "Clair says that a trainer with my experience only needs one to win any battle."

__

"And you believe that?"

Satoshi shook his head as he walked out of the lab. "Never said I believed it. But I haven't lost since. Night, Sentry."

__

"Night, sir." Sentry sighed and turned to face the three legendary beasts in their prisons. _"So. You guys know any good jokes?"_

* * * * *

"That was a really great match."

Gary blinked and shook his head slightly. "Thanks."

"Tired?" Cassidy guessed.

"Maybe." He resisted the urge to yawn into his hand.

"Well, you're lucky. The boss is holding off meeting with you until tomorrow."

"Wonderful. That should give me just enough time to figure out how I can convince him to get rid of Butch."

"Tried that already," Cassidy sighed. "Several times."

Gary smirked. "Thought he was your partner?"

"Yeah, 'was' being the keyword. Now he's just annoying."

He placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Hate to break it to you, Cass, but he's always been that way. You're the only one just now realizing it."

"Yeah, I guess. You ever notice his voice sounds kinda…nasty?"

"You mean like a Snorlax with a Pineco stuck in its throat?" Gary pretended to think about it for a moment. "Nope, the thought never even crossed my mind."

Cassidy's lips twitched, and then she finally lowered her head and laughed. She soon regained her composure, and her face became serious. "It's good to have you back, Shigeru. Don't take off like that again, okay? We…really missed you."

Gary sighed. "Look, Cassidy. Let's be honest with each other." He tilted his head slightly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you want me, but you'll just have to settle for another guy that sounds like a frog with a sore throat."

Cassidy glared at him, but only for a second. "Whatever." She punched him on the shoulder as the elevator doors finally opened. "Seeya tomorrow, Shigeru."

"Yeah. Seeya." Gary watched her walk away, then looked up the hall. "Unless they moved everything, my room should be down here."

__

"Hmm…third room on the left."

"Huh? Oh, thanks, Cleo. Wait…you're in your pokeball!"

__

"What's your point, Trainer Gary?"

"You can still talk into my head from there?"

__

"Of course. A mere pokeball can't block telepathic links."

"And yet it does a fine job of keeping you in there."

Cleo growled into his head. _"Like others of my kind, my true power is psychic, not physical."_

Gary chuckled as he finally reached his room. "Well, don't worry about it. You were very impressive tonight. I'm sure Frieda would be proud."

He could almost see Cleo blushing slightly as she said, _"Thank you."_

Gary pressed his hand against the small pad next to the door. "Open."

There was tiny beep. "Scan positive. Welcome home, Shigeru." The door slid open.

The room was exactly how he'd expected it to be: clean. Aside from the dresser, bed, and desk, it appeared to empty. 

"Guess I wasn't much of a decorator." Gary dropped his bad on the bed and took a look around. His gaze landed on desk for the second time. "I wonder…" Gary walked over to the desk and began tapping the wood, searching for…something. Amazingly enough, he found it, despite the fact he had no idea what he was looking for.

The bottom drawer had a hollow echo, and Gary felt along the corners until his fingers brushed against a tiny knob. The entire set of drawers flipped around to reveal six pokeballs embedded in the wood. Each was clearly labeled.

"Man," Gary whispered. "These guys don't play around. At least, I didn't." He was just starting to reach for a pokeball when something brushed against his cheek. Startled, he jumped up and banged his head on the edge of the desk. "Ow!" Gary grunted and rubbed the growing bump on his head, slowly turning to see what had surprised him.

Sally stood before him, her vines waving in greeting.

"Oh. How'd you get out?"

Sally only stared at him in silence.

"Wait, you still don't understand me, do you?" Gary sighed. "Well, at least you're looking better."

As if she understood, Sally tilted her head a bit, then slowly nodded.

"You'd better get back inside your pokeball, Sally. This place is probably crawling with psychic types, and you're not exactly hard to miss."

She nodded again, slower than before, and picked up the custom green pokeball Gary had bought for her in Crimson City. After studying it for a few seconds, she pecked it with a vine and was pulled inside.

Gary picked up the ball and put it in his backpack. It was then that he heard a knock on the door. He ran his fingers over Cleo's pokeball.

__

"…it's…Satsohi, Trainer Gary. Be careful."

Gary frowned, then opened Cleo's pokeball.

Cleo leaped off the bed and came to stand by his side. _"Is something wrong?"_

"No. Just feel better with someone dependable by my side." Gary ran a hand through his hair and opened the door.

Satoshi looked up slowly, his face showing no emotion at all. 

Gary stared at him for a long moment, then smirked. "I'm done battling for the day, Satoshi. You'll have to take a number."

Satoshi almost smiled. Almost. "No, no. I guess I just had to see you for myself…before I allowed myself to believe Cassidy's report." He paused. "It's…been a long time, Shigeru. Much has changed."

"Hmm. You mean that you've gotten better, or that you've gotten Kasumi?" Gary was quite impressed that the smile he displayed held no jealousy or malice at all. Well, very little, anyway.

Satoshi closed his eyes and chuckled. "You were always so direct and to the point." 

"Yeah. Guess some things don't change, Satoshi."

"No, Shigeru. Some things do not." Satoshi opened his eyes and held out a gloved hand. "That was quite a battle you had with Kasumi."

Gary gripped the hand firmly. "How's she doing?"

"She'll recover." Then he smiled, as if he'd had a stroke of genius. "You should talk to her."

"I don't think she wants to talk to me."

"I've never known Kasumi to hold a grudge over a good battle."

Gary slowly withdrew his hand. "So you WANT me to be alone with your girl? Man, things have definitely changed."

Satoshi shook his head. "Not true. I trust you, Shigeru. More importantly, I trust you both."

"Good to hear that." Gary leaned against the doorframe. "So you really didn't come by to challenge me?"

"I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind, old friend. But there will be plenty of time for that, once you've settled in. Go and talk to Kasumi first. You won't regret it."

"Fine. Where will I find you once I've settled in?"

Satoshi smiled again. "Most likely Lab 2, on the north island. If I'm not there, ask Sentry to locate me."

"One-on-one?" Gary asked.

Satoshi nodded and sighed. "I don't like it any more than you do, but I promise to use my best Pokémon."

"Then there's no problem at all." Gary felt something rub against his leg and looked down. "You'll have to excuse me, Satoshi. I was in the middle of giving Cleo a massage when you arrived."

"Say no more. Your Pokémon come first." Satoshi leaned down to rub Cleo's head. "You did very well tonight, Cleo. I look forward to seeing you in action again." He stood up, nodded to Gary, then turned and walked away. "Welcome back, old friend," he called over his shoulder.

"Thanks." Gary closed the door and sighed in relief. "Thanks for the save, Cleo."

__

"Well, now that you mention it, Mistress Frieda always gave the best massages after tough battles…"

Gary chuckled. "Well, if you're nice to Kasumi, maybe I can get her to give you one."

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 5: The Resistance

An in-depth look at the weary but powerful few that dare to challenge the Rocket League's reign.


	5. The Resistance

Note: 

Note: All members of the Resistance (except Sylvie) have appeared on the TV show. 

Pseudo Shigeru 

Chapter 5: The Resistance 

"You should be in bed, Sylvie." 

The little girl slowly opened her eyes, but remained silent. 

Sabrina sighed and stepped over to the bed. "Sylvie." 

The girl blinked and looked up. "Oh. Hi, Sabrina." 

Sabrina's expression didn't change. "Go. To. Sleep." 

Sylvie frowned. "But I-" 

"Not tonight. You need to rest." 

"But why can't I stay up with you?" Sylvie whined, tugging on Sabrina's hand. 

"Because you need extra rest after you've used your powers. You know that." Sabrina smiled sadly and stroked her little sister's cheek. "I'm just worried about you, Sylvie. Go to bed, please. For me?" 

Sylvie pouted once for good measure, then climbed into her bed. 

Sabrina carefully tucked her in. "Thank you. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." 

"Where's Abra?" Sylvia asked. 

"Right here," Sabrina replied, pulling out a pokeball. "He's healed up now." 

"Can you let them all out?" 

Sabrina picked up five pokeballs on the dresser and opened them all. Soon, Abra, Venonat, and Drowzee had joined Sylvie in bed, while Wobbuffet, Girafig, and Haunter remained on the floor. 

"Thanks, big sister," Sylvie said, smiling at her. 

"Thank me by getting some rest," Sabrina replied, nodding at Drowzee. 

Drowzee sat down next to Sylvie's pillow, placing its paws on either side of her head. Sylvie's eyes instantly closed, and she began to snore lightly. 

Sabrina left the room and closed the door. "Sweet dreams, my little one." 

"But I'm right here!" Sylvie said, coming up beside her. 

Sabrina sighed and closed her eyes. "You're early, Duplica." 

"Correction: we're late." The girl glared up at her. "How'd you know it was me?" 

"Even Sylvie can only be so annoying. You take it to another level entirely. Besides, her Pokémon would know if it had been you in there." 

"Well, like I said, we're late," the girl repeated, stamping her foot for emphasis. 

"Then let's go." 

"You're just going to leave the kid unguarded like that?" 

"Of course not. She has her Pokémon." Sabrina closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Come on." 

Duplica started to follow Sabrina downstairs, until she felt a sudden chill go down her spine. She glanced back, only to gasp as a dark, gaseous shape appeared in front of Sylvie's door. Suddenly, two red, piercing eyes became visible among the gas, and they seemed to look right through her. Duplica swallowed and quickly ran after Sabrina, wondering just when the former gym leader had found the time to capture the most elusive ghost type. 

* * * * * 

Gary looked up as the door slid open. "So you are still up." 

Kasumi blinked a few times. "What do you want, Shigeru?" 

"I was wondering how Togetic was doing." 

Kasumi stared at him for a long moment, then turned and walked back into her room. 

Gary slowly entered the room. He was a little surprised to find it almost as bare as his own had been. 

"Over here," Kasumi said. 

Gary joined her at the balcony. "What am I looking at?" 

The words had just left his mouth when Togetic dropped into Kasumi's waiting arms. 

"He likes to go for midnight flights," she explained, cuddling the Pokémon the way a mother would her child. "Togetic, you remember Shigeru, don't you?" 

Togetic chirped and extended one of his feet, which Gary eventually shook. 

"As you can see, he's fine." Kasumi kissed Togetic's head. "Is that all you wanted?" 

Before Gary could come up with a reply, Cleo sprang up on his shoulder. "Oh. This is Cleo." 

Kasumi gasped softly. "She's beautiful, Shigeru." 

"You sound surprised." 

Kasumi blinked. "Well, I never knew you to be a collector of beautiful Pokémon. Frankly, between Nidoking and Marowak, I thought you only liked the rough ones." 

"I'm a collector of powerful Pokémon. Cleo's beauty is just a sign of a talented trainer." 

"Would that be you or Mistress Frieda?" Cleo asked. She wasn't surprised when Gary didn't reply. 

"Anyway, do you think you could give her a massage? Since I wouldn't know anything about raising beautiful Pokémon, of course." 

"Only if you do something for one of my Pokémon." She stepped aside to reveal a Jynx—the very same she'd battled with earlier. "You can do Jade's hair." She held out a brush. 

Gary raised an eyebrow as he took it. "By `do,' you mean a few strokes here and there. Right?" 

Kasumi frowned. "Of course not. Exactly 45 strokes on each side. And trust me, if you get it wrong, she'll let you know. Haven't you ever brushed hair before?" 

"Yeah, but it was usually mine, and I never needed 45 strokes, even if I added up all of them." 

"Well…that's probably why your hair looks that way," Kasumi replied. 

"You walked right into that one," Cleo chuckled. 

Gary shot her a glare. "Pipe down and get your massage." 

"She say something?" Kasumi asked. 

"Nothing too important. As usual." He sighed and looked at Jade. "Okay. Um…" 

"You're supposed to sit down first," Kasumi added helpfully. 

Gary took a step toward the bed. 

"Not there. That's where Cleo gets the massage. Use the chair by the wall." 

Jade seemed to turn up her nose as Gary settled into the chair. 

Gary smirked. "Hey, if you don't like it, you can just stand there. I could care less." 

Jade stuck out her tongue, then swayed over and turned her back to him. 

"Remember. 45 strokes on each side," Kasumi reminded him. 

"Hard or soft strokes?" Gary asked, hoping it was the former. 

"Firm but gentle." 

Gary grinned and raised the brush. "Hold still, Jade. This just may sting a little…" 

Jade placed a hand on Gary's knee. Instantly, a chill ran through his body as ice began to form there. 

"Jade doesn't like to be threatened," Kasumi said. 

"Yeah, I kinda figured that…" 

* * * * * 

"We've waited long enough." Morty frowned and nodded. "We strike tonight." 

"What?!" Whitney cried. "But we can't!" 

"The order came from Brock himself," Morty replied, glaring at her. 

"I'll believe that when I hear it from him," Whitney snapped. 

"What would you have me say, Whitney?" 

All heads turned to the door as an older man appeared. His spiky, dark brown hair was just beginning to turn gray. His eyes seemed to be mere slits, and his face was hard as stone. He leaned heavily on the Ninetails at his side, though it didn't seem to mind. 

"Brock," Sabrina said quietly. "You…shouldn't be out…" 

"I'm old, Sabrina, not weak. Anyway, Morty was correct. We attack the Rocket League tonight." 

"And what's our objective?" Duplica asked, not sounding pleased. 

Brock's voice grew rough and cold. "Kasumi. We're going to kidnap her." 

"You can't be serious!" Whitney said. "Satoshi would-" 

"Do whatever it takes to get her back safely. Which is exactly what I'm planning on." Brock ran a hand through his hair. "He'd even leave the Rocket League for her." 

"How can you be so sure?" Morty asked. It wasn't often that he doubted Brock, but kidnapping one of the Elite Four was a major step. 

"I knew Ash. I walked alongside him for years. No amount of the Rocket League's brainwashing could erase his feelings for her." 

"Yeah, well, I knew Ash, too, and he was a good friend. But this is Satoshi!" Whitney pointed out. 

"Stop worrying. If everything goes according to plan, we won't even have to deal with him until after we have Kasumi. But I can only promise that if we attack tonight. Waiting any longer would be taking a huge risk." 

"Well, this isn't what I'd call perfectly safe, Brock," Sabrina muttered. "But I'll go along with it, if you think it's doable." 

"I do," Brock said quietly. "I'll understand if the rest of you won't cooperate. If I have to, I'll go on this mission myself." 

"That…won't be necessary, Brock," Morty said after a long moment. "I'll go with her." 

"Good," Brock replied. "Duplica?" 

"I'm in." 

"Thank you, all of you. The three of you should be able to execute the plan. The kids and I will accompany you." 

"Not Sylvie," Sabrina said quickly. "She needs to rest." 

Brock nodded. "Very well. We leave immediately, then." 

* * * * * 

"Nurse Joy?" 

The older woman looked up from the magnet train's controls. "Yes, Casey?" 

The young woman sat down beside her. "Are we…really doing this?" 

"I'm afraid so, dear. Brock thinks we'll stand a better chance if we have one of the Elite Four." 

"What do you think?" 

"It think…it's a drastic step…but that he is correct. If this works, we'll only have the Elite Three to worry about." 

Casey fingered the pokeball hanging from her neck. "And you really don't think we'll see…him?" 

Nurse Joy glanced over at her. "From what I hear, Satoshi is the most reclusive of the Elite. Most of us haven't seen him since he was still Ash." 

"Has anyone seen him since then?" 

"A few, yes. Sabrina, Brock, and Duplica. They encountered him on the last mission like this one." 

"And…what happened?" Casey asked slowly. 

"He defeated them," Nurse Joy replied. 

"With Pikachu?" Casey guessed. 

"No. Actually, he didn't seem to have Pikachu with him. He used a very powerful Gengar. It did know electric attacks, though." 

"Well…did he…say anything to them?" 

"No. Nothing worth remembering, anyway." Nurse Joy glanced at Casey again. "You're still hoping there's part of him to save, aren't you?" 

Casey blushed a bit and lowered her head. "I know it's silly, but…Ash was like a big brother to me. I can't just let him go as easily as everyone else has." 

"It wasn't easy for anyone, I promise you. Nobody wanted to believe that Ash was gone at first. But Satoshi and Shigeru personally shut down the Orange League by force. We're just lucky that we don't have to deal with both of them anymore." 

Casey nodded absently and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to wander. 

* * * * * 

"Casey!" Professor Elm called. "There's a call for you!" 

A much younger Casey looked up, brushing some violet hair from her face. "For me? But who knows that I'm here?" 

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," was Elm's response. 

Casey hurried over to the vid-phone and grinned as she caught sight of the familiar face. "Hi, Ash!" 

Ash returned the smile. "Hey, Casey! How's it going?" 

"Just great!" 

"And how's Bayleef?" 

"BAY!" shouted the plant Pokémon as it popped up behind Casey. 

Casey giggled. "She's fine, too. How's Pikachu?" 

"Pika!" Pikachu waved from Ash's head. 

Ash's face suddenly turned serious as he leaned forward. "Listen, Casey. I need to tell you something." 

"What…is it, Ash?" She'd never seen him look so grave before. 

He closed his eyes. "I'm on my way to meet my father." 

"Really? That's great! Isn't it?" 

"I honestly don't know." Ash opened his eyes. "But I've got a feeling that something's really wrong." 

"Like what?" 

"I don't know. But I'm…kinda scared. For myself, and my Pokémon." 

Casey nodded. She'd feel simply awful if anything happened to Bayleef. She knew Ash was the same about Pikachu. 

"So…I was hoping you could do me a favor and look after one of my Pokémon." 

"Which?" Casey asked. 

"Cyndaquil. I know he's not exactly striped or anything, but-" 

"Of course I'll take him, Ash," Casey interrupted. "Which of my Pokémon do you want?" 

Ash frowned. "Actually, I was hoping that Professor Elm might have some spare Pokémon. I wouldn't feel right taking one of yours, Casey. I've…just got this bad feeling, and I want mine to be safe in case anything happens to me." 

Casey bit her lip. "Hmm…I know he's got a Houndour around here. How's that?" 

Ash smiled a bit. "That'd be great." 

Within moments, the switch was made. 

"Thanks a lot, Casey," Ash said. "I knew I could count on you." He started to hang up. 

"Ash, wait!" Casey cried. 

He paused. "What is it? What's wrong?" 

"Just…promise me you'll be careful. I wanna be able to give Cyndaquil back to you one day." 

"I promise, Casey. Don't worry." 

"Yeah, I've heard that one before. You watch out for him, Pikachu." 

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted just before the screen went blank. 

Casey stared at the screen for a long moment before turning away. 

* * * * * 

Gary was almost done brushing Jade's hair when he happened to glance toward the balcony. Kasumi stood there with Togetic, having long since finished Cleo's massage. Cleo now rested at Gary's feet. 

For some reason, Jade began to fidget as Gary reached the forty-first stroke. 

"Hey, cut it out! I'm almost done." 

Jade calmed down a little, but still bumped his leg every few seconds. 

By the time he was done, Gary noticed something strange. Kasumi had been standing very still for the last few minutes. So had Togetic, for that matter. It was possible they'd both fallen asleep, but they were both standing up. 

"Kasumi?" Gary whispered, beginning to worry. 

There was no reply. 

Gary reached down and stroked Cleo's head. "Cleo, do you sense anything?" Then he looked down to see that Cleo was asleep, and even his fingers hadn't disturbed her. Strangely enough, soon he felt the weight of Jade's head against his knee as she, too, drifted off. 

Slowly reaching inside his cloak, Gary opened Leon's pokeball as quietly as possible. 

Leon frowned as soon as he emerged. "There's a very strong psychic force here. It's…coming from the balcony." He gave Gary a questioning look. 

Gary stared at Leon, then nodded as he drew out another pokeball. 

Leon dashed to the balcony and took a flying leap into the air. He touched down on Kasumi's shoulder for a second, then slammed into what appeared to be an invisible wall. The air around Kasumi shimmered as a large Hypno crashed to the ground in front of her. Kasumi groaned and collapsed. 

Gary ran forward to check on her when something crashed into his chest. The air left him as he fell to his knees. 

"Sudo!" a strange voice shouted, and he could hear heavy footfalls coming toward him. 

"Eve!" Gary grunted, throwing the pokeball in his hand. "Water Gun!" He didn't need to look up to know she'd obeyed. The Sudowoodo's wail of pain was more than enough confirmation. 

Then Eve was at his side, her tail swishing back and forth as she prepared to defend her trainer. 

Gary was still trying to clear the stars from his head when he heard it. A sound so horrible, so painful to his ears that he only remained conscious by sheer strength of will. Even then, every one of his senses went haywire, and for a few endless seconds, he was aware of nothing but the dull roar of pain thudding in his bleeding ears. 

Then, without warning, the world came back into focus. Gary looked up to see a huge, misshapen figure towering over him. He knew without question that it had caused the unearthly noise. He also knew that Kasumi was entrapped within its monstrous jaws. 

Gary wasn't quite sure what had happened next. He'd planned on reaching for Marie's pokeball. But for some reason, he found himself leaping at the monster with little or no regard for his own life. His mouth opened in shock as his jump carried him over the monster's huge head and straight into the person who was standing atop it. 

He was certain that she was a woman before his fist crashed into her chin. 

The monster whipped its head beneath his feet, and Gary made a wild leap for the balcony. He just barely made it, his left ankle crashing into the stone railing. To his relief, he found Kasumi there as well. He didn't question how she'd escaped the monster's mouth, mainly because he didn't care. 

Kasumi's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Shigeru?" 

There was a warning squeal from Eve, and Gary yanked Kasumi back into her room before the entire balcony gave way under a single blow from the giant monster. 

"What's going on?!" Kasumi cried. 

"Someone's after you." Gary threw off his violet cloak. "Give me yours. Hurry!" 

"What? But why?" 

"No one knows I'm back, so they have to be after you!" Tired of waiting, he yanked the black cloak away from her and draped it over his shoulders, tugging the hood over his head so that it hid his face from view. 

"What are you doing, Shigeru?!" 

"Saving your pretty butt," Gary replied before turning his back on her. He recalled Eve, Leon, and Cleo. 

"Shigeru, this is no time…for…" Kasumi trailed off as the monster's head crashed through the gaping hole in the wall. Long, green vines shout out of its mouth and wrapped tightly around Gary, yanking him inside. A sweet-smelling gas spilled into the room as the monster withdrew and vanished. 

Before Kasumi could think to do anything, she collapsed again, already asleep by the time she hit the floor. 

* * * * * 

Giovanni was not a man that liked to repeat himself. But when he insisted that the security video be replayed ten times, everyone realized just how grave the situation was. 

"Assuming," Lance said slowly, "that Shigeru was correct in his theory, Kasumi was the intended target of the kidnapping. We can't afford to ignore the rebels anymore. They have to be dealt with immediately." 

"They seem to think so, too," Clair added. "They've demanded a Pokémon battle." 

"With who?" Kasumi asked. 

Clair smirked. "Who else? Satoshi." 

"It's clearly a trap," Cassidy said. 

"Obviously," Lance agreed. 

Satoshi stood up and headed for the door. 

"Get back here, Satoshi," Clair ordered. "We haven't finished." 

"I've heard enough. I'm going." 

"I don't recall anyone here giving you permission to leave." 

"That's strange. I don't remember asking for it, either." 

"Are you challenging my authority, Satoshi?" Clair asked, her eyes narrowing. 

"No, because you have none. I take orders from Lance, not you." 

"Enough," Giovanni muttered, steepling his fingers. "Satoshi, sit. We'll be done soon enough." 

Satoshi slowly returned to his seat next to Kasumi. 

"Clair, Satoshi is correct. Lance handles all League matters. They have challenged one of our Elite." 

"And taken another," Kasumi added quietly. 

Giovanni sighed. "Yes. It was my fault for underestimating the rebels. Clearly, Sabrina has managed to gather some talented trainers to assist her. However, I will not send anyone into such an obvious trap." 

"I won't let them keep Shigeru, father." Satoshi fingered the tiny pokeball hanging from his neck. "I won't go alone." 

Giovanni closed his eyes. "Very well. But Sentry goes with you." He drew a violet and white pokeball from his vest and placed it in Satoshi's hand. "If they won't return Shigeru, take him by force." 

Satoshi nodded and walked out of the room. He wasn't surprised when Kasumi joined him. 

"Promise me you'll be careful, Satoshi." 

"I was going to tell you the same thing, love." He pressed the customized pokeball into her hand. "Take him back to the lab. His place is guarding the legendaries." 

Kasumi's eyes widened in shock. "You're going without Sentry?" 

"If the rebels could defeat me, they would have the last time." 

"Of course they can't beat you. That's why they tried to take me. They wanted to cripple you." Kasumi took his face in her hands. "And they still have, haven't they?" 

"Shigeru is my brother. I won't abandon him." 

"Even though he did the same to you." 

Satoshi closed his eyes. "He's changed, Kasumi. For the better." 

"I know. So promise me you'll both come back." 

He nodded. "We will, Kasumi. But don't think because they have him that they won't try for you again." Satoshi pressed her palm to his lips. "Be careful." 

Kasumi sighed as he walked away from her. "I'd feel better if you were with him, Sentry," she whispered to the pokeball. 

"So would I, Mistress Kasumi. So would I…" 

* * * * * 

Continued in Chapter 6: Pains of the Past 

In the hands of the rebels, Gary learns the truth behind the Rocket League. But when Satoshi comes to his rescue, who will he side with? Can Satoshi face the ghosts of his lost past? 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


	6. Pains of the Past

Note: This chapter has some major violence DARRYL PHILLIPS Default 2 1 2001-12-11T19:26:00Z 2001-12-11T19:26:00Z 12 3644 20774 N/A 173 41 25511 9.2720 0 0 

Note: This chapter has some major violence.  And Satoshi & Shigeru are just plain evil here.  So be advised: it ain't gonna be pretty.

Chapter 6: Pains of the Past 

"Have you found anything yet, Sentry?" Kasumi asked as she paced across the floor of Lab 2.

_"Yes, Mistress Kasumi."_  Sentry's violet, muscular tail waved behind him as he spoke.  _"I've been reviewing the impressions I got from the security tapes.  I've identified four Pokémon involved in the kidnapping: Hypno, Sudowoodo, Steelix, and Venusaur."_

"Well, the Hypno had to belong to Sabrina."

_"Yes.  My scan indicates it was the Drowzee she captured just before she left the League."_

"Anything else?"

_"I'm afraid so.  The ID numbers on the Venusaur and Steelix match some already in our records."_

Kasumi blinked in surprise.  "You mean they stole Pokémon from us?"

_"Not quite.  The Venusaur belongs to Satoshi, and the Steelix belongs to Brock."_

"B…Brock?" Kasumi whispered.  "But… I thought he was…"

_"He may be, Mistress.  This just means that the rebels have one of his Pokémon."_

"And if they have one, they're bound to have more."

_"Yes.  They also have several of Satoshi's former Pokémon."_  Sentry's eyes glowed bright blue beneath his helmet.  _"I am greatly concerned for Master Satoshi's safety."_

"He can take care of himself, Sentry."

"Yes, but only if he is focused.  Seeing so many of his old Pokémon will distract him.  I think that's what the rebels may have in mind."  

"You…really think he needs help?" Kasumi asked.

_"I would feel better if I was there,"_ Sentry replied after a moment.  _"Even I didn't fight, I could at least put a good scare into them."_

Kasumi smiled and patted his paw.  "You do look an awful lot like him, you know."

"That was the general idea, I'm told.  Although I'm obviously much more useful than Mewtwo ever was."

"Well, you're a lot more pleasant to be around, that's for sure."  

Sentry smiled.  _"So glad you think so.  But the rebels won't know the difference, and I don't necessarily have to be there for them to see me…"_

Kasumi nodded.  "Link up with Satoshi and stand by.  But don't do anything unless he gets into trouble.  I don't want him to know we're helping."

"Of course, Mistress Kasumi.  And thank you."

"No, Sentry.  Thank you for caring about him."

* * * * *

Gary almost screamed when he woke up.  Then he realized the warm and furry thing on his neck was only Eve.  He reached up and stroked her head.  "You okay, girl?"

"My ears are still sore from that Steelix's Screech, but they're getting better.  What about you?" 

"Let's just say I'm glad my ears aren't as good as yours."  Gary's eyes darted around for a moment, getting used to the darkness.  "Are we still in that thing's mouth?"

_"No, Trainer Gary,"_ Cleo replied as she appeared at his side.  _"We're currently in an underground tunnel of some sort.  They left us here about an hour ago."_

"How did you girls get out of your pokéballs?" Gary asked.

_"Sally let us out,"_ Eve answered, nodding her head.

Gary looked further down the tunnel to see the Celebi juggling her green pokéball with two vines extending from her neck.  "Glad one of us is in a good mood, at least."

_"I've been…talking…to her,"_ Cleo said, giving Gary the feeling that it hadn't been easy.  "Apparently, she was helping you during the kidnapping attempt."

"Yeah.  I never could jump that high before."

"She also shielded you from Hypno's Hypnosis.  That's why you didn't fall asleep like the rest of us."

"And she couldn't do anything about that Steelix's Screech?"

Cleo smirked.  _"Actually, she did.  If you'd been exposed to the true harshness of the sound at that close range, you'd be deaf right now."_

"Did she happen to tell you why she did all that?" Gary asked.

"No, but from what I can figure, she thinks the pokéball you bought her is…pretty."  

"You don't look like a bad guy."

Gary gasped and looked up as he heard the new voice.  "Who said that?"

Without warning, a little girl with an Abra on her shoulders appeared next to him.  "They told me you were bad," she explained.  "But you don't look bad to me.  Abra doesn't think so, either."

"Who are you?" Gary asked.  He got the strange feeling that she was somehow familiar.

"I'm Sylvie," the girl replied.  "And you're Shigeru, but you don't seem like a bad man."

"Well, I'm not," Gary said.  "Do I know you?"

"Nope.  Just my big sister, probably."

Gary blinked a few times, staring harder at the girl's features.  "Sabrina."

"Yup!  She doesn't think you're bad, but she doesn't like you, anyway."

"Gee, thanks."  Gary glanced over at Sally, who was watching them with great interest.  He wondered why Sylvie hadn't said anything about the Celebi.  He was sure they weren't common creatures in any world.

"Can I pet your Espeon?" Sylvie asked hopefully, staring at Cleo.  "She's real pretty."

Gary shrugged.  "Sure, if she'll let you."

Sylvie slowly walked over to Cleo and placed a hand on her back.  "Wow!  She's so soft and silky…"

"Comes from good grooming."  Gary watched Sylvie for a few seconds.  "Does your sister know you're down here?"

"Hope not.  Mary and Mikey said they'd stall for me.  They're good at that."  She smiled.  "Mikey's got a whole bunch of Eevee like yours.  Well, he used to.  He evolved all but one of them."

"So he's an Eevee trainer?"

"Kinda sorta.  He likes Ice Pokémon, too.  He's got a Delibird and a Piloswine, and a Smoochum that we all raise together.  She's so CUTE!  You'd like her."

Gary stared at her.  "Why are you being so nice to me?"  

Sylvie shrugged.  "I don't think you did all the bad things they said you did.  Anybody with an Espeon this pretty couldn't be that bad."

"You must be the only one that thinks that."

"Mikey and Mary will, once I tell them how cool you are.  Maybe Casey and Nurse Joy, too.  But the grown-ups will be harder to convince."  Sylvie blinked rapidly, then shook her head.  "I better go.  My big sister's looking for me."

Gary nodded.  "Thanks for talking to me."

Sylvie flashed him a bright smile and patted her Abra's right leg.  "Let's go, Abra!"  In an instant, they were both gone.

_"Such an interesting child,"_ Cleo said.  _"The way she petted me was so perfect…as if she could sense just how I preferred to be touched."_

Gary grinned.  "Yeah, sure.  As if."

* * * * *

Captain Jenny frowned and tucked a loose strand of blue-green hair behind her ear.  "This is not going to be a good night."  She sighed and turned away from her computer.

"Something wrong, Captain?"

"Yes, Tracey.  Looks like we have a kidnapping case."

"Really?"  Tracey looked up.  "Anyone we know?"

"You could say that.  It's Shigeru."

Tracey froze.  "Are you serious?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are, but I got the call from Indigo Plateau five minutes ago."

"Who made it?"

"Lance himself.  He claims Shigeru returned earlier tonight.  The rebels attacked, intending to take Kasumi, but Shigeru got in their way."

"So…what do we do?" Tracey asked.  "I mean…are we actually going to help the Rocket League, or…?"

"I'm afraid we have no choice.  Kidnapping is a crime, and despite the Rocket League's reputation, until we can prove anything, we're obligated to recover Shigeru."

"And you think he'll go quietly if we try to rescue him?"

"Of course not.  But it'll be hard enough getting him out of rebel hands, and if he puts up a fight, I certainly won't say anything if he just happens to get roughed up."

Tracey chuckled.  "This from an officer of the law?"

"No.  It's from a lady who's seen the Rocket League slip away one too many times.  This may be our chance to shut them down, and I'm not going to miss it."

* * * * *

Satoshi frowned as he reached the edge of the forest.  According to the Rocket League's intelligence reports, the rebels had tunnels going on for miles underground, and one of the most likely places was the forest.  Still, that had never been confirmed, so for all he knew, he'd flown into enemy territory the moment he'd left the Indigo Plateau.

"Land here," he said quietly.

Charizard snorted in reply and quickly touched down.

Satoshi slid to the ground and glanced around before recalling Charizard.  He paused, as if listening for something, then held up a black pokeball.  

The ball shuddered faintly for a moment, then grew still.

Satoshi clipped it back on his belt.  "I need your light, old friend."

Pikachu emerged from the black cloak and hopped onto Satoshi's shoulder.  His body glowed brightly as they moved deeper into the forest.

Neither of them noticed when the tiny pokeball hanging from Satoshi's neck turned violet for a few seconds, then back to its usual red and white.

* * * * *

Eve's ears twitched.  _"Someone's coming."_

Gary stood up as a huge Ursaring lumbered into view, snarling softly.  "Great."

"Relax, Shigeru," said a familiar voice.  "He won't attack unless I tell him to, so don't give me a reason."

Gary looked at the young woman beside Ursaring.  "Do I know you?"

"Probably not.  I'm Duplica."

Gary thought her name sounded weird, but figured it wasn't smart to mention that.

"Anyway, let's go.  It's time for your interrogation."

"Aren't you gonna knock me out first?"

Duplica smirked and motioned for him to go first.  "Don't tempt me.  Just recall your Pokémon, and no tricks."

Gary recalled Eve and Cleo before realizing that Sally was gone.  He frowned and walked past Duplica, waiting for a blow to the back of his head.  But there was none, so he kept going.

Soon, they entered a dim chamber that appeared to be part of an ancient temple.  There were strange markings all over the walls, and many of them looked like eyes.  But Gary didn't have much of a chance to study them closely.

"Sit," a voice commanded.

Gary sat in the indicated chair, not at all surprised when two Mareep appeared and sat by his chair.  He could tell just by looking at them that they had very strong electric attacks.  His hair was even starting to stand on end from the close range.

Then he realized that more people had suddenly appeared in the chamber.  They were all sitting behind a table on the other end of the chamber, staring at him.  Duplica took the last chair on the right.

"Where have you been all this time, Shigeru?" one of them asked.  "Did you really disappear, or was that just a rumor started by the Rocket League?"  The voice was rough and cold.

"I left," Gary replied.

"Where did you go?"

"Training."

"Where?" the voice pressed.

"Training," Gary repeated, more forcefully.

There was silence for a moment.

"You knew we were after Kasumi," a female voice said.  "How?"

"Because I don't think you're as stupid as Giovanni did." 

"That doesn't explain how you knew," the rough voice growled.

Gary shrugged.  "It's what I would've done if I were you."

"How so?" another male asked.

"Satoshi was the biggest threat to you.  If you had Kasumi, he wouldn't be a threat anymore."

"You sound confident of that."

Gary smirked.  "Well, you did try to kidnap her.  I'd say you were pretty confident of it, too."

"Do you think they'll send Satoshi for you?" a different female asked.

"They don't have to send him.  He'll come on his own."

"Why?" Duplica asked.

Gary glanced at her.  "First, he could never resist a good battle.  Second, you took me before we could have our rematch.  He'll want to know which of us is better.  Finally, you tried to take Kasumi.  He won't forgive that, and he definitely won't forget it."

"You don't think he'd come just to save you?" the rough voice asked.

"Doubtful.  He probably figures if I'm smart enough to trick you into taking me, I'm smart enough to escape on my own."

The rough voice chuckled.  "And are you?"

Gary grinned.  "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

"Why'd you make him do it?" a voice behind Gary asked.

Duplica stood up.  "Casey, you're not supposed to be in here."

Casey ignored her and glared at Gary.  "Why'd you make him do it, Shigeru?"

Gary stared at the younger girl.  "Do what?"

"Show him, Sabrina."

Duplica frowned.  "Casey, don't-"

"Show him!" Casey shouted.

"Do it," the rough voice agreed after a moment.

Sabrina stepped over to the wall and pressed a few of the markings.  A panel slid away, revealing a vid-screen.  "This is a recording of a battle at Pummelo Stadium.  The very LAST battle there, and in the Orange League at all."

Gary watched the screen in silence.  And he couldn't believe his eyes.

* * * * *

"Dragonite!" Drake shouted.  "Hyper Beam!"

"Zippo, use your Fire Blast!" Richie yelled.

Both dragons unleashed their most powerful attacks.  

The resulting explosion should've covered the entire arena in light and smoke.  Instead, everything was contained at the center of impact in a giant ball.  And as the ball gradually shrank, the arena was plunged into confused, amazed silence.

A Gengar and Houndour stood in the middle of the battlefield, licking their lips, as if they'd just enjoyed a delicious meal.  Then the air around them shuddered, and two young men appeared.  The slightly taller one had a Natu on his shoulder, while a Pikachu perched on the other's head.

Drake and Richie both blinked and whispered, "Ash…?"

The boy once known as Ash Ketchum smiled evilly.  "Gengar?"

The ghost looked up at its trainer expectantly.

The smile vanished from his face, and his voice was without emotion.  "Destroy."

Gengar grinned and opened its mouth, revealing just where Dragonite's Hyper Beam had gone.

The audience was instantly reduced by half as the destructive wave swept through the stands.

"NO!" Richie cried.  "Ash, what are you doing?!"

"Don't worry, pal.  I saved a special death for you."  He raised his right arm and pointed.

Richie wondered what he was doing, until Pikachu raced down his arm at lightning speed.  "Sparky!"

Richie's Pikachu leaped at the other, responding to his trainer's cry.  

"Pikachu, Evolve."

Pikachu snarled and twisted in the air, his body almost tripling in size.  When he landed, it was indeed a Raichu that stood in his place.

Richie looked on in shock.  "There's…no way…"

"Wrong.  There's no you," the boy said.  "Raichu, show them how a Thunderwave should really be used."

Raichu growled and spun around, his long tail whipping out in a wide arc.  "RAI!"

The electric energy washed over boy and Pikachu, and neither of them remained when the smoke cleared.

Drake blinked and shook his head.  "I don't know what's gotten into you, Ash, but this stops now!"

The boy with the Natu smirked.  "Wrong.  It's just beginning."  He whipped out his hand, tossing three pokeballs into the air.  A Skarmory, Ursaring, and Scizor emerged.  "Be sure no one makes it out alive."

Skarmory took to the air with blinding speed, while Ursaring stomped its way toward the stands.

Drake growled in anger.  "I won't let you do this!"

"Too late.  Natu has the exits sealed off."

Drake's eyes darted to the little bird.  "Ice Beam!"

Dragonite opened its mouth and fired.

The boy gasped in surprise when he realized that the beam was aimed at Natu, but at himself.  Not that it mattered.  Natu teleported them both out of the beam's path.

"Well, if that's how you want it.  Scizor, Quick Attack!"

Drake would've sworn he never saw the red Pokémon move.  All the same, deep cuts opened up all over his arms, legs, and chest.  He groaned and fell to his knees.

Dragonite roared in anger and charged.  

"Steel Wing."

Scizor's wings flashed before he charged as well, flying just beneath the dragon's vulnerable belly.

Dragonite let out a wail of pain and crashed to the ground.

Drake looked on in shock as Scizor stopped.  His wings were stained with crimson liquid.  "Dragonite…NO!"

"Don't feel bad, chump," the boy chuckled.  "You never had a chance, and I'll tell you why."  He walked over to Drake and bent down.  "Every Pokémon is born with self-imposed natural limits.  Sort of like a power regulator.  It's the only thing that really keeps them from killing each other in battle."  He grinned evilly.  "Your Pokémon still have those limits, of course.  Unfortunately for you, ours don't anymore."

Drake was about to say that he was wrong.  But he couldn't ignore the screams behind him, and he knew that it was true.  "Who are you?  Why are you doing this?!"

"We're the Rocket League," the boy replied.  "And we're doing it because we can."  He stood up.  "Ever wonder what would happen if a Pokémon used Psychic on a human?"

Drake's eyes widened as the Natu began making a strange noise.  "No…please…don't!"

They were the last words he would ever speak.

The boy laughed.  "Houndour and Scizor, go help the others finish up.  We don't have all day."

The two Pokémon nodded and went to do their trainer's bidding.

He turned around to find his partner fiddling with a television camera.  "Ready?"

"Almost.  Raichu?"

Raichu sent a tiny shock into the camera.

"Okay.  We're on."  

Both boys stepped in front of the camera.  

The one with the Raichu chuckled as he began.  

"To control the world with devastation."

His partner joined in.

"To enslave the Pokémon in every nation."

"To destroy the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our evil beyond the stars above."

"Satoshi!"

"Shigeru!"

"Rocket League reigns supreme from now on!"

"Mess with us, and you'll be gone."

"Raichu!"

"Gengar!"

Shigeru looked up, spotting the helicopters in the distance.  "Looks like we got their attention."

Satoshi smiled.  "Then let's give them something to be worried about.  Gengar, Shadow Ball!"

Gengar growled and formed a ball in its hands.

"Raichu, juice it up!"

Raichu added a large amount of electricity, doubling the ball's size.

"Fire!"

Gengar threw the ball high into the air.

"Detonate!"

The helicopters were knocked out of the sky by the resulting power waves.  But even when the authorities finally made it to the arena, all they found was a massacre scene, and a single videotape with the world's two deadliest trainers on it.

* * * * *

Captain Jenny walked into the briefing room, smiling when she saw that her team was already there.  But the smile faded as she reminded herself why she'd gathered them in the first place.

"This will be unlike any other mission we've been on.  It will also be extremely dangerous."

"When do we leave again?" Shiro asked, grinning.

Chigusa elbowed him.  "Dummy."

Jenny's gaze landed on her newest recruits.  "Jessie and James, I know this will be difficult, but I don't want you to let your personal feelings get in the way."

James looked confused.  "What?  Why?"

"Because…we're handling a kidnapping case for the Rocket League."

The Persian and Jessie's feet lifted his head.

"But…I thought we were supposed to fight the bad guys?" Chigusa asked.

"We are," Jenny replied.  "So while we're looking for Kasumi, we'll also be looking for ways to bring the Rocket League to justice.  And if we do find her, they'll owe us."

"Any suspects?" Shiro asked.

"Yes.  They matched ID numbers of the Pokémon involved to several former gym trainers.  Plus, they have Sabrina on their security tapes.  I never thought she'd take it this far."

"Guess they didn't, either," Jessie muttered.

"Fortunately, we're still on good terms with Sabrina.  I'm hoping she'll admit she was involved.  At least then we could work something out."

"You really think she'd do that?" Tracey asked.

"Yes, I do.  Sabrina's ultimate goal is to bring the Rocket League down.  Even if it mean being imprisoned for a while, I'm sure she'd do it willingly."

"What if they get away again?" James asked.

Jenny sighed.  "They might get away a hundred times, or even a thousand.  But we will catch them in the end.  I swear it."

"Works for me," Persian purred.

"Like I said," Shiro interrupted.  "When do we leave?"    

"Right now."  Jenny stepped forward and touched the girl in front of her.  "Copycat will be mission leader this time."

"What?  That's crazy!" Shiro cried.  "She can't even talk!"

"She doesn't have to," Tracey snapped.  "I know sign language.  I can translate for you."

"But how are we gonna talk to her?" Persian asked.  "She can't hear us."

"She can read lips," Jenny said.  "And she's more than capable of leading this team.  Besides, she's the only one that can get us to the rebel base."

"Think you can do it, Copycat?" Tracey asked.

Copycat smiled and nodded.

Jenny grinned.  "Okay, team.  Let's move out."

* * * * *

"Well?  Are you going to answer me or not?!" Casey shouted.  "Why'd you make him do it?!"

Gary kept his head lowered and remained silent.

Casey growled and grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking his head up.  "I said why…?!"  She trailed off, shock etched on her face.  "You…you're…crying?"

Gary glared at Casey and slapped her hand away.  "Yeah.  It's called being human.  You should try it sometime."

"Why are you crying?" Sabrina asked.  "Do you regret what you've done now?  If you're looking for forgiveness, you won't find it here."

"Don't worry, I wasn't."  Gary wiped his face on his sleeve.  "I'm just mad that it took something like that to get Ash and I to be partners again."

Duplica narrowed her eyes.  "What do you mean, again?"

"It doesn't matter," Brock said.  "Would you ever attack anyone so mercilessly again, Shigeru?"

"Of course not," Gary muttered.  "I'd never do that…and I never have done that.  I don't know where you got that tape, but that wasn't me."

  
"You're lying," Casey whispered angrily.  "This is no joke!  Those people and Pokémon really are dead, and their blood is on your hands!"

"Well, 'I' wasn't alone," Gary pointed out.

"How DARE you!"  Casey slapped him across the face.  "Ash Ketchum would never--!"

"Yeah.  But the tape says he did."  Gary smirked.  "So either we're both guilty or both innocent.  Make up your mind."

"No….you made him do it!"

Gary chuckled softly.  "Oh?  Then why is it the last time you guys saw him, he attacked you on his own?"

Casey fell silent.  

"Then you're not controlling him," Brock said.  "But someone—or something—is.  I've suspected there was some unknown force controlling the Rocket League for a long time."

"But I still didn't do what's on that tape," Gary insisted.

Brock frowned.  "Then it's worse than I feared."

"What do you mean, Brock?" Morty asked.

"Giovanni has turned the Elite into perfect killing machines.  They strike without feeling, and afterwards, their minds are wiped clean.  They don't even realize what they've done.  They must think we're the evil ones attacking them for no reason."

"But it would take incredible psychic power to control them for this long and so well," Sabrina said.  "And I didn't sense anything when I was there."

"If the Rocket League did have something that powerful, it could probably mask its presence from lesser psychics," Brock replied.  "And that's saying a lot, considering it's you, Sabrina."

"I know," she said quietly, suddenly looking very afraid.

"Regardless, we have to try and reach Satoshi.  He'll be vulnerable, now that we have Shigeru."

Sabrina nodded.  "I'll do my best, Brock."

"I know you will.  Everyone will."  Brock sighed and gently stroked the head of his Ninetails.  "Duplica, take Shigeru to the battlefield.  Casey, you round up the kids.  Morty, keep a tight watch on the perimeter.  I want to know the second Satoshi arrives.  Whitney, I want you to prepare Plan Alpha-Beta."

Whitney blinked a few times.  "Are you sure, Brock?"

"Yes.  We can't afford to take anymore chances.  He may walk in here as Satoshi, but if he walks out, he's taking a little piece of Ash with him."

As Duplica led him away, Gary felt a familiar pressure on his cheek.  He looked up to see Sally floating just over his shoulder.  There was a mysterious smile on her face.

"Sure hope you know what you're doing, Sally," Gary muttered.  "But next time, warn me when you're gonna feed me a line.  It's way too weird to feel me talking and not know what I'm saying."

Sally nodded and patted his cheek with a vine.

Gary smiled slightly, then hid it behind a frown as Duplica glanced back at him.  "There's just one thing I can't figure out," he thought to himself.  "If Sally's powerful enough to stay hidden from everyone we've met so far, is she strong enough to take on whatever controls the Rocket League?"

* * * * *

Pikachu stopped as they reached the edge of the battlefield, his ears twitching.  "Chu."

Satoshi looked down.  "What do you hear?"

"That would be me," Brock replied, slowly stepping into the light.  There was a Crobat perched on his shoulder.

Satoshi frowned.  "Where is Shigeru?"

"If you win, you can have him."

"Who do I have to battle?  You?"

"Yes.  But not just me."  Brock drew a pokeball from his belt.  "Are you ready…Ash?"

"My name is Satoshi."

Brock chuckled.  "We'll see, old friend…"

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 7: Enemy Within

Satoshi and Brock battle, but what do they have in store for each other?  With Brock's theory confirmed, Gary sets out to find the real power behind the Rocket League.  But that path leads straight to the mysterious Lab 2, home to some very powerful Pokémon.  Is Sentry the enormous psychic force controlling the Rocket League, or is there a Pokémon even greater than him?


	7. Enemy Within

1.1.1 Chapter 7: Enemy Within  
  
  
  
"Oh, come on, Morty!" Sylvie whined. "Why won't you trade with me? You've got plenty of ghosts!"  
  
Morty shook his head. "Pokémon isn't just about evolving, little one."  
  
"But I don't even want to keep it! I just want Haunter to evolve!"  
  
"Let's say I did trade with you. Then you'd have a Gengar with weak stats. You must train your Haunter so that it gains plenty of experience and new attacks before you evolve it. Gengar can be powerful, but it learns new techniques very slowly."  
  
"But Haunter already knows everything I want him to!"  
  
Morty smiled. "Even so, he could use the experience, and don't make me prove it by beating him with a Gastly.again."  
  
Sylvie glared at him. "No fair! You've got a SUPER Gastly!"  
  
"And he got that way by training, just like your Haunter will.if you take the time to work with him."  
  
"But I can't teach Haunter any of the elemental punches until he evolves!" Sylvie complained.  
  
Morty stared at her. "Elemental.? What are you saying, Sylvie? You should teach him Ghost and Psychic attacks."  
  
"Maybe that's okay for your ghosts, but I want mine to be different."  
  
Morty was about to say something when his Gengar appeared. "What is it, Gengar?"  
  
Gengar made a quick motion with its hand.  
  
Morty frowned. "We've got company. Seven of them, all wearing similar uniforms. Probably Captain Jenny and her team."  
  
"You mean the PokéPolice?" Sylvie asked.  
  
"The very same. Don't know why they'd be in our neck of the woods, so to speak."  
  
It was a few minutes more before Jenny's team arrived at the tunnel entrance.  
  
"Can we help you?" Morty asked, letting his coat fall open so his pokéballs would be in plain sight.  
  
"That's what we're hoping, Morty," Jenny said as she stepped forward. "I need to speak with Sabrina immediately."  
  
"I'm afraid that's impossible. Sabrina and the others are currently indisposed, and as you can see, young Sylvie and I have guard duty. We'll do anything we can to help out, of course."  
  
Jenny peered down at Sylvie. "A little young for such an important job, isn't she?"  
  
Morty smiled. "I assure you, Captain, Sylvie is quite capable for her age. Show her, little one."  
  
Sylvie closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her head. "They think we took Shigeru, and they want my big sister to confess."  
  
Jenny chuckled, but only for a moment. "Look, Morty. We know the rebels were involved in the kidnapping. Just let us talk to Sabrina."  
  
"So you can arrest her? I don't think so, Captain."  
  
"We're trying to stop the Rocket League, just like you are! But we're bound by the law to bring the guilty to justice, not just them."  
  
"Sounds like a personal problem." Morty crossed his arms over his chest. "We have our own methods of justice, Captain, and trust me, they're much more effective."  
  
"But not necessarily legal," Jenny growled.  
  
"True, but as we speak, Satoshi himself is in our midst. That's better than you've ever done."  
  
Jenny's eyes widened. "Show me."  
  
"I must have your word that you won't interfere."  
  
"You know I can't do that, Morty. Satoshi is the most wanted trainer in the Elite Five. If he's in there, I have to arrest him."  
  
"You can try, but he'll only get away. If you wait, I promise you won't even have to catch him. When Brock's plan works, he'll turn himself in."  
  
"Brock? You mean he's.alive?"  
  
Morty smirked. "Proof alone that we're better than you think we are, Captain. Your word.?"  
  
Jenny sighed in defeat. "Very well. You have my word. We won't touch Satoshi."  
  
"Or Shigeru!" Sylvie added, a frown on her face.  
  
Jenny smiled a bit. "Or Shigeru."  
  
Morty nodded. "Thank you, Captain. Now, come and watch the battle of the century."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Brock had been an excellent trainer in his younger years. A Gym Leader, even, and the only thing truly above them was a few select trainers and the Elite themselves.  
  
But these were no longer his younger years, and he'd lost a great deal: his youth, strength, and a considerable amount of his eyesight (he was too proud to admit he was blind as a Zubat). Two things he hadn't lost, however, were a calm head in battle and a close relationship with his Pokémon.  
  
Satoshi, on the other hand, seemed to have lost only one thing: anything resembling mercy on the battlefield. In sharp contrast, all his other skills seemed to have increased exponentially. If Ash had won all those gym badges by luck, then he was definitely having a major lucky streak now. But Brock had a sinking feeling that the Rocket League was behind Satoshi's abilities. And he had to admit that the boy once known as Ash Ketchum was a man now, and a very good trainer to boot. Too good, in fact.  
  
Already, three of his Pokémon had fallen to Satoshi's Gengar, and it wasn't even tired. Brock had hoped that Satoshi would start with Pikachu, but maybe he'd been expecting that. Satoshi wasn't exactly stupid.  
  
Crobat chirped on Brock's shoulder, reminding him that the battle wasn't over.  
  
"Are you giving up so soon, Brock?" Satoshi asked from the other side of the dim arena.  
  
"No, Ash. We're just beginning." Brock pulled out his last pokéball. "I think you'll like this one."  
  
Crobat took the pokéball from Brock's hand and tossed it out.  
  
A large, hulking shape formed on the battlefield, and Satoshi's eyes widened a bit as he recognized it.  
  
The Feraligatr roared and stomped the ground as it emerged, causing Gengar to back up. Then it caught sight of Satoshi and froze.  
  
Brock smiled. "That's right, old friend. Remember."  
  
Feraligatr took a hesitant step forward.  
  
Satoshi blinked a few times. "To.Totodile.?" he whispered in disbelief.  
  
Feraligatr broke out into a wide, toothy grin.  
  
"Sabrina?" Brock asked.  
  
"On it," came the reply.  
  
Brock's feet slowly lifted off the ground. "Thank you. Now, let's hope he's still that happy little Totodile deep down inside."  
  
Feraligatr growled happily and started to dance. Of course, he was a lot heavier now, and what had once been a joyful little jig was now just as powerful as an Earthquake attack.  
  
Satoshi teetered unsteadily for a moment, then pitched forward, crashing to his hands and knees.  
  
"It's time," Brock said. "Signal the others, Sabrina."  
  
Duplica, Whitney, and Casey stepped out of the darkness.  
  
"Long time no see, Ashy-boy," Duplica muttered, a frown on her face.  
  
Satoshi stared at her uncertainly, as if he didn't know her. Then he shook his head, and the fog cleared. "Duplica."  
  
"I used to be able to trust you, but that time is long gone now. I still have the trust you put in me, though."  
  
Satoshi watched as she tossed out a pokéball. Another huge shape emerged, only this one was a Venusaur. His Venusaur. "Bulbasaur.it's.really you."  
  
Venusaur nodded. "Saur."  
  
"He's not the only one," Whitney said as a Noctowl landed on her shoulder. "We all took good care of your Pokémon, Ash."  
  
"We sure did," Casey added. "Right, Pyro?"  
  
At her side, Typhlosion nodded.  
  
"So, Ash," Brock said quietly. "Should we continue? Have you really changed so much that you're ready to battle your own Pokémon?"  
  
Satoshi groaned and shook his head. "My head.what's this.pounding.?" He grunted in pain and grabbed his head. "AAAAAHHH!!!"  
  
"Ash!" Casey cried, running toward him.  
  
Brock caught her wrist. "No, Casey. Wait."  
  
"But he's hurt!" she wailed.  
  
"The truth can do that, when you've been in darkness for so long."  
  
Casey sighed and stayed where she was. Then she realized that Typhlosion hadn't. "Pyro?"  
  
"He's out there," Brock replied.  
  
Casey looked up to see Pyro running to Satoshi. "They're finally back together."  
  
"I don't think so," Brock said quietly.  
  
Satoshi's head suddenly whipped up, and there was a panicked look in his eyes. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed.  
  
Pyro froze and stared at his original trainer, blinking in confusion.  
  
"Just.stay away," Satoshi whispered, backing up. "Don't."  
  
Pyro took a step forward.  
  
"NO! Gengar!"  
  
The ghost Pokémon appeared between them without warning, sending out his long tongue.  
  
Pyro fell back, his body shuddering slightly as he hit the ground.  
  
"Pyro!" Casey ran to the paralyzed Pokémon and wrapped her arms around him. "Ash, how could you?" she whispered. "He's your Cyndaquil!"  
  
Satoshi stared at her in shock. "I.I."  
  
"Granbull, Take Down!" a new voice called.  
  
Satoshi barely had time to turn as the Granbull slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground.  
  
Brock spun around to find Shiro and the rest of Jenny's team behind him. "What are you doing?!"  
  
"Something we should've done a long time ago," Shiro snapped.  
  
"Stand down, Shiro!" Jenny ordered, glaring at him. "We gave our word!"  
  
"You gave yours," Shiro corrected her. "I never said anything. And you said you wanted Satoshi."  
  
Casey carefully knelt over Satoshi. "Ash? Can you hear me?"  
  
There was a slight twitch beneath Satoshi's flowing black cloak.  
  
Then eight violet and orange clawed legs whipped out, tearing the cloak to shreds.  
  
Casey shrieked in fear and backed away as a giant Ariados sprang up. Satoshi's body swung limply from its abdomen as the spider lashed out, a single talon catching the Granbull in the throat. The dog shuddered and collapsed, whining quietly.  
  
"Stay back!" Sabrina shouted, carrying Casey away. "The venom kills humans instantly!"  
  
Ariados bent two talons up to Satoshi's neck and tugged, bringing out a tiny pokéball. With practiced skill, it enlarged the pokéball and threw.  
  
There was a terrible, bloodcurdling shriek as a huge shape took form in the sky, blocking out the moon.  
  
"What is it, Sabrina?" Casey whispered.  
  
"Zapdos the Legendary," Sabrina replied just as quietly. "Satoshi must have assumed we'd try to kill him if he thought this was necessary."  
  
"But we weren't.were we?"  
  
Sabrina sighed. "Well, Casey, it won't matter if Zapdos has his way."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Do you really have an Espeon?"  
  
Gary lifted his head and stared at the boy. "I'm guessing you're Mikey."  
  
"That's right. Can I see it?"  
  
"I don't know. Can you get these manacles off me?"  
  
"I would, but Morty has the keys." Mikey thought for a moment. "Do you have a really strong Pokémon? One that could smash a boulder?"  
  
"Nidoking."  
  
"Great!" Mikey drew out two pokéballs. "Flareon, Vaporeon, weaken those chains!"  
  
Flareon quickly heated the chains while Vaporeon went behind her, cooling them down.  
  
"Nidoking's is the third pokéball from the left," Gary said, nodding to his belt.  
  
Nidoking easily broke the weakened chains with a single hit.  
  
"Thank God for sensible kids," Gary said, rubbing his wrists. "All the adults here are idiots."  
  
"They're just mad about Ash.or whatever he calls himself now. Most of them were his friends, and they feel betrayed."  
  
Gary opened Cleo's pokéball. "Can you sense anything?"  
  
"Yes. Satoshi is here, but he's currently unconscious." Cleo paused and blinked a few times. "He's also released Zapdos."  
  
Gary frowned. "Then it looks like a pretty one-sided fight. Mikey, how many ice types do you have?"  
  
Mikey tore his eyes away from Cleo. "Delibird, Smoochum, and Piloswine. My Vaporeon knows Ice Beam, too. Why?"  
  
"Because until Satoshi wakes up, Zapdos is free to do whatever he wants to your friends. And I'm not so sure Satoshi would stop him even if he was awake."  
  
"You mean.we're going to battle Zapdos? But my Pokémon aren't strong enough!"  
  
Gary shot him a look. "Do you have any better ideas, Mikey? Every second we waste must seem like an hour to them."  
  
Mikey started to answer, then pointed. "What's that light down there?"  
  
Gary turned see a yellow light farther down the tunnel. It seemed to be pretty small at the moment, but he could tell it was moving very quickly.  
  
"It.it's him!" Mikey cried. "Zapdos is already here!"  
  
"Cleo?" Gary asked.  
  
"I sense a very powerful electric Pokémon with Satoshi's psychic imprint.but it's not Zapdos."  
  
"Pikachu, then. Run, Mikey."  
  
"But.he wouldn't attack you.would he?"  
  
"Doubt it," Gary replied. "Can't say the same for you, though."  
  
Mikey's eyes widened, and he quickly took off in the opposite direction.  
  
Gary bit his lip as the light came steadily closer. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't quite sure that Pikachu wouldn't zap him. Sure, he was Satoshi's first Pokémon, but if Shigeru was anything like Gary, he probably hadn't been too fond of the electric mouse, either. He was suddenly very happy to have Nidoking next to him.  
  
"Trainer Gary, I'm now sensing three different Pokémon. None of them is a Pikachu."  
  
Gary was forced to agree as the light got closer. What had once looked like a light now seemed more like an electric spider with jagged bolts of lightning for legs. Two black eyes filled with menace stared ahead at him as the spider suddenly came to a stop a few feet away.  
  
Gary was startled by a beeping noise at his side. He looked down to see Sally poking at his Pokédex with her vines. "Sally, how do you keep DOING that-"  
  
"Scanning.multiple Pokémon detected.attempting to separate.one moment, please."  
  
The air around the spider's eyes began to shimmer and dissolve, revealing something else entirely.  
  
The Pokédex beeped again. "Pokémon entries found. Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon. Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon. Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon."  
  
Raichu suddenly collapsed to the ground, his body shrinking until only Pikachu remained.  
  
Gary's gaze landed on the two stones it wore on either front paw. One was green with a tiny lightning bolt on it, while the other was a dark violet color. Without thinking, he stepped forward to get a better look.  
  
Gengar instantly slid in front of Pikachu, growling in anger.  
  
"Going back and forth like that must weaken Pikachu," Cleo said.  
  
"My guess is it had something to do with the light show a second ago. That was a lot of power."  
  
Sneasel lifted its head and sniffed the air, then gave out a loud screech.  
  
Instantly, there was an answering shriek, muffled somewhat by distance, just before the ground began to shake.  
  
Nidoking covered Gary in a protective hug as rocks rained down, splitting as they crashed into floor.  
  
Cleo gasped as a bright light flooded the tunnel. "Zapdos is here."  
  
Gary looked up to see Zapdos staring down at them through a large hole in the tunnel roof. Raw electrical energy seemed to cover his body as he moved, beating the air with his great wings. "Nobody move," he whispered, though it was pointless. There were very few that could move when Zapdos was staring at them.  
  
Sneasel flew up in the air and made some motions with its claws.  
  
"He.wants us to follow, Trainer Gary. Should we.?"  
  
Gary smirked. "If you're gonna tell him no, Cleo, you've got way more guts than I do."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sentry sighed in relief. "Satoshi is safe, and Shigeru has been secured. Zapdos is on his way back."  
  
Kasumi smiled. "Good."  
  
"But the rebels are trying to stop them."  
  
"Not so good. Sentry, can you.?"  
  
"On it, Kasumi." Sentry's eyes glowed beneath his helmet. "Time to work my magic."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So, when we catch them.we're not going to hurt them, right?" Casey asked for the third time.  
  
Brock sighed. "Let's just focus on catching them first. They know where our base is, so we can't let them go back to the Rocket League. Sabrina, can you get a fix on them?"  
  
Sabrina shook her head. "It's like they just vanished, Brock. I can't sense them at all."  
  
"Then I'll find them my way. Both of you, hang on." Brock patted his Pokémon's head. "Spinout!"  
  
"Is that really an attack?" Casey whispered to Sabrina as Steelix began to spin its long tail.  
  
Sabrina smirked. "This is Steelix, Casey. Everything's an attack."  
  
"Iron Tail, now!" Brock shouted.  
  
Steelix quickly swung its tail upward. The momentum it had gained from the Spinout combined with the Iron Tail attacked, resulting in a sight few people had ever seen: a flying Steelix. Of course, it only traveled a few miles, but it was still much further than any other Steelix had ever managed to fly.  
  
As Steelix slid to a stop moments later, Sabrina reached out once again with the power of her mind. This time, she found something.  
  
"What is it?" Brock asked.  
  
"It's.it can't be," she whispered, her eyes widening.  
  
"What?" Casey asked, touching Sabrina's shoulder.  
  
"Hello down there," a voice above them said.  
  
Brock's blood ran cold in his veins even before he turned around. "Impossible."  
  
"I assure you it's very possible, humans," the floating cat replied, its eyes glowing neon blue beneath its helmet. "Now, either you can turn around and go hide in your tunnels, or I can show you why the Rocket League thought I was valuable enough to keep around."  
  
Brock stared up at the cat defiantly for a few seconds, then looked away. "Steelix.let's go."  
  
"A wise decision," the cat said, nodding. "But I will not be so lenient the next time you harm my masters.Takeshi."  
  
Brock's eyes narrowed. "Don't EVER call me that again!"  
  
"Brock, let it go," Sabrina whispered, shaking her head.  
  
"Who's Takeshi?" Casey asked once Steelix had turned around.  
  
"It would've been Brock's name, had he become full-fledged a member of the Elite Five."  
  
Casey blinked in disbelief. "He was.?"  
  
"Yes. But they found fault with him, and he was replaced."  
  
"They didn't find fault," Brock snapped. "I just.woke up and realized how wrong it all was. I couldn't explain it then, and I still can't now. All I know is that whatever made me think the Rocket League was right stopped making me think that. And I think it's the same thing that makes the Elite Five forget what they've done."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gary had always dreamed of owning a legendary bird Pokémon. Now, as he rode on the back of Zapdos, he realized it might be as close as he ever got. Unfortunately, he wasn't enjoying it. He was too worried about Satoshi, who still hadn't regained consciousness.  
  
And then the ride wasn't exactly made comfortable by the giant Ariados still perched over his head. While Gary was amazed how the spider positioned itself so precisely that it didn't interrupt Zapdos's flight, it was definitely giving him the creeps. After all, if the spider suddenly got antsy (no pun intended), Satoshi wouldn't be awake to calm it down.  
  
"Trainer Gary?"  
  
Gary glanced down at Cleo, who was curled up at his side. "What is it?"  
  
"I was wondering.do you think Mistress Frieda is okay without us?"  
  
Gary sighed wistfully. He'd been so busy lately, there hadn't been much time to think of Frieda. Now that he was, he could almost see her face in his mind's eye. "I'm sure she's fine, Cleo. It's this world that's in danger, not yours."  
  
"I can't help worrying. I miss her," Cleo sighed.  
  
"I could bring out Leon for you," Gary offered, a grin on his face.  
  
"Don't you dare!" Cleo snapped, the red dot on her forehead glowing brightly.  
  
Gary chuckled and reached over to stroke her head. "Just kidding, girl."  
  
Any real protests Cleo had died as she purred softly, shutting her eyes and leaning into his hand. "Curse you and your magic fingers.!"  
  
"You know you love it. Frieda taught me how to do this."  
  
Cleo's eyes opened. "I think Pikachu could use some comfort as well."  
  
Gary glanced over to Zapdos's neck, where Gengar was still perched protectively over Pikachu. "You're right. But I guess we'd have to get past Evil Casper first." He opened Eve's pokéball. "Think you can spare some juice for Pikachu, girl?"  
  
Eve bounded over to Pikachu, stopping when Gengar appeared in front of her.  
  
"Pika.!" Pikachu groaned weakly, forcing himself to his feet.  
  
Gengar growled softly, then backed off.  
  
Pikachu collapsed on his side, panting heavily.  
  
Eve laid down beside him and closed her eyes. The yellow stone on her EvoRing pulsed, surrounding her body in a yellow, electric aura.  
  
Pikachu opened one eye. "Pika?" he asked.  
  
Eve nodded and draped her bushy tail over his side, gently licking his cheek.  
  
Pikachu turned a dark shade of red as the electric sacks in his cheeks reacted, sending out tiny sparks.  
  
"I think someone's going to be a Jolteon," Cleo teased.  
  
"It's not her I'm worried about. But if he suddenly goes Raichu on me, I'll be suspicious."  
  
There was a quiet groan behind them, and they both turned around to see Satoshi shaking his head.  
  
"About time," Gary said. "I was starting to think you were dead." He glanced down at Cleo, who appeared to be asleep, though her red dot was shining brightly.  
  
Satoshi frowned. "Not funny. Widow?"  
  
The Ariados cut away her webbing with a talon, and Satoshi fell to his knees. His hand instantly went to his bruised ribs. "Damn dog," he growled, wincing.  
  
"You okay?" Gary asked.  
  
"I'm alive," Satoshi muttered. "At least, that's what the pain tells me."  
  
"So spill it. Did you come just to stir up the rebels, or were you actually stupid enough to try and rescue me?"  
  
Satoshi smiled grimly. "It worked, didn't it?"  
  
"Not the point. Pikachu's a wreck-a very happy one now, but STILL a wreck- and you're not much better."  
  
"Anything you can walk away from, right?" Satoshi sighed, then realized Gary was still staring at him. "What?!"  
  
"Do it."  
  
"Do WHAT?"  
  
Gary smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Walk."  
  
Satoshi started to move, winced, then growled. "Shut up."  
  
Gary grinned. "I win. And so does Pikachu."  
  
Satoshi glanced over at his electric mouse and couldn't help smiling. "Dibs on the egg."  
  
"Done, Trainer Gary," Cleo psi-whispered. "You were right. There is no memory of the Orange League Massacre in Satoshi's head."  
  
"Good work, Cleo," Gary muttered, frowning slightly.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Continued in Chapter 8: Battle in Lab 2  
  
The moment both Satoshi & Gary have been itching for: a battle to determine the best of the Elite. But why is Kasumi acting so strangely, and who is the mysterious figure observing the Rocket League from the shadows? Also, Sylvie and her young trainer friends have gone missing, but what do the PokéPolice have to do with it? 


	8. Battle in Lab 2

Chapter 8: Battle in Lab 2 

Satoshi was silent for the remainder of the trip back to the Indigo Plateau.  Gary wasn't sure if he was brooding over the Granbull that had attacked him, or just wondering about his old Pokémon that he'd seen for the first time in years.

"Something's wrong," Satoshi whispered.

Gary blinked.  "What?"

"We should've reached the Indigo Plateau by now."

"You saying Zadpos doesn't know the way?"

Satoshi frowned.  "Of course he does.  Which means the way has been changed."

"Or it just looks that way."  Gary enlarged a pokéball.

_"Oh no,"_ Cleo groaned, already sensing his plan.

Leon emerged and narrowed his eyes.  _"There's a powerful psychic force masking the buildings."_

"Think you can pull the same trick you did back at Frieda's?"

Leon shook his head.  _"No way.  This kind of power is way out of any normal Pokémon's league.  No pun intended."_

"So we know the buildings are there," Gary muttered.  "But how do we find them?  We need something to follow, some kind of signal."

As if in reply, Zapdos let out a loud screech.

Instantly, there was an answering squawk.

"What was that?" Gary asked.

"A signal," Satoshi replied.  "Kasumi's signal.  Here it comes now."

A beam of blue light suddenly shot up from the ground.  The arena finally shimmered into view as they got closer, and in the center of it was a magnificent bird.

Gary's eyes widened.  "Is that…?"

Satoshi nodded.  "Articuno."

Zapdos landed in front of Articuno and lowered his wings to the ground.

Once they had all climbed off, Satoshi recalled all his Pokémon except Pikachu, who remained by his side.

"So, think you can walk yet?" Gary asked.

Satoshi frowned.  "What are you implying?"

"Well, since you seem to be in defensive mode, I'll take that as a no."

Satoshi started to reply, but a familiar voice cut him off.

"Satoshi!"

Kasumi came running up to them and looked as if she might throw her arms around Satoshi, until she realized he was wounded.  "What happened?"

"The PokéPolice were there," Satoshi replied, fingering his ribs.  Then he groaned and collapsed.

Gary kneeled and checked Satoshi's pulse.  It was strong enough.  

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, sounding worried.

"He'll be fine with rest, Pikachu."  Gary carefully pulled Satoshi to his feet, then realized Kasumi wasn't helping.  "Well?"

Kasumi continued to stare at him.

"Kasumi!" Gary snapped.

She gasped, then quickly draped Satoshi's other arm around her shoulders.  Together, they carried him away.

Eve started to follow, until she noticed that Cleo was staying behind.  _"What is it?"_

_"I thought…I sensed something,"_ Cleo said after a moment.  _"There, in the shadows."_

_"Just me,"_ Leon replied as he stepped into view.  

Cleo hissed in frustration as Eve bounded off.  _"Why do you insist on startling me?"_

_"Didn't mean to."_  Leon lowered his voice.  _"I sensed something, too.  Went to check it out."_

_"What was it?"_ Cleo asked.

Leon grunted.  _"Had to be a psychic.  Kinda smelled like you, but not as good.  Took off once I got close."_

_"Why didn't you say so?"_

_"Didn't wanna worry the kid.  She'd just tell Gary and get him worried."_

* * * * *

Clair watched the screen for a moment, then raised the com unit to her lips.  "Satoshi and Shigeru are home, sir."

"Excellent.  Are they wounded?"

"Satoshi looks pretty out of it.  Fainted once they got here.  I cleared some spots in the infirmary."

"Good work as usual, Clair.  Anything unusual to report?"

Clair paused.  "Well, they rode back on Zapdos.  Didn't think they'd need him."

"Hmm.  Interesting.  What do you make of it?"

"The rebels must've had an ugly surprise for them.  Guess they're more prepared than we thought."

"Apparently."

Clair lowered the com unit, watching as Cleo & Leon followed their trainer out of the arena.  It was then that she spotted something small and black moving in the shadows.  It was far too small to be any recognizable Pokémon, and before she could get a good look, it was gone.

"Something wrong?" Lance asked from behind her.

"Maybe.  I thought I saw something out there."

"Impossible.  Sentry would've sensed it."

_"There is nothing,"_ Sentry confirmed a moment later.

"And your shields are still masking us?" Clair asked.

_"Yes, Mistress."_

Clair frowned.  "Hmm."

"What?" Lance asked.

"I hate being wrong.  But I really hate it when someone says I'm wrong, and I turn out to be right.  Keep scanning until you find something, Sentry.  I know what I saw."

_"As you command, Mistress."_  Sentry watched Clair and Lance leave Lab 2, then sighed.  He turned to another screen, watching as Shigeru & Kasumi helped Satoshi into one of the beds.  _"Get better soon, Satoshi.  It's always boring down here without you."_

Without warning, there was a soft growl behind him.

Sentry turned to see Entei on his feet, staring at the screen that still showed the inside of the arena.  _"No offense, of course.  But you can be terribly entertained at the moment, can you?"_

Entei did not answer, but he continued to stare at the screen, a glint of recognition in his eyes.

* * * * *

"That was a very stupid thing you did back there, Shiro," Chigusa muttered as their cruiser left the forest.  "Because of it, your Granbull could be injured, or worse."

Shiro snorted.  "Just because I'm the only one Jenny doesn't have on a leash, I'm the black sheep, huh?  Well, if being able to think for myself is a crime, then I guess I'm guilty.  Besides, Satoshi won't forget me anytime soon, and Princess is tough enough."  

Though Shiro sounded confident, Chigusa noticed how he kept stroking his Granbull's head absently.  Princess hadn't so much as blinked since Satsohi's Ariados had stung her.  "She'll be fine," Chigusa said after a moment, placing one hand over his and hoping she sounded reassuring.

"Yeah," he whispered, no longer sounding very confident.

"She needs a Full Restore," a voice behind them announced.

Shiro & Chigusa turned as one to see Sylvie crouched over Princess.

"What's SHE doing here?!" Shiro cried.

"I'd guess she's fixing Princess," Chigusa said slowly, noticing the bottle in Sylvie's hand.

Sylvie carefully pushed the bottle between Princess's large front teeth and tipped its contents into her mouth.  "Drink it all down, puppy, so you can get stronger," she said quietly, patting Princess's head.

"Just tell me you didn't bring your sister with you?" Shiro pleaded.

"Nope," Sylvie confirmed.  "But Mikey and Mary are hiding in the back."

Shiro smacked his forehead.  "I don't BELIEVE this!"

"Calm down, Shiro," Chigusa said.  "I'm sure she's got a good reason for being here."

"I do," Sylvie replied confidently.  "You're gonna help us stop the Rocket League."

"Why would we do that?" Shiro asked, his face still frozen in disbelief and something that might've been fear.  Chigusa suspected he might be picturing what Sabrina would do to whoever had "taken" her sister.

"Because I said so.  And because I helped your puppy."

Sure enough, Princess sprang onto Sylvie, eagerly licking her face.

"So I guess you have a plan?" Chigusa asked, smiling at her.

Sylvie nodded.  "All you have to do is get us onto one of the islands.  We can do the rest."

"You want us to just leave you there alone?"

"Not alone.  With Mikey and Mary and our Pokémon."

"And you think you can defeat the Elite Five by yourselves, not to mention Lance, Clair, and Giovanni?"

"Won't have to beat them all," Sylvie answered with a big grin.  "Just the bad ones."

* * * * *

Kasumi entered the code quickly, as if she expected to get in trouble for being there.  Surely everyone in the building had seen her going into and coming out of Satoshi's room before.  Of course, he'd always been inside before, not unconscious in the infirmary.

The door slid open with a soft hiss, and Kasumi stepped in, squatting next to the bed.  "Chikorita," she started to whisper, then remembered it had evolved.  "Bayleef?"

Slowly, a large, green head appeared on the other side of the bed, but it was a Meganium.  Kasumi blinked in surprise.  It was just more proof of how many secrets Satoshi kept, even from her.

Fortunately, Meganium recognized her at once and hurried around the bed, her large, pink petals waving in greeting.  A pleasant scent drifted into Kasumi's nose, and she was reminded of vanilla and cinnamon.  She gradually emerged from her dazed stupor as Meganium gently nuzzled her neck.

Kasumi smiled and stroked Meganium's long neck.  "You miss Satoshi, huh?"

Meganium's petals waved again, and this time Kasumi inhaled a scent remarkably like Satoshi's: sweat, spice, and something else she couldn't identify.  

"Want to go see him?" Kasumi asked.  "I bet he'd like that."

Kasumi was rewarded with another pleasing scent, which she'd learned was "yes" in Plant.  She was just leading Meganium out of the room when she bumped into someone.

"Shigeru!" she cried, nearly stumbling over Meganium.

If Gary was bothered by her reaction, he didn't show it.  "Going to see Satoshi?" he asked.

Kasumi nodded, trying to catch her breath.  She suspected her heart had nearly stopped.

"Don't bother.  He's not in the infirmary," Gary pointed out.

"He's…not?"

"Just came from there.  They said he walked out on his own.  Well, limped out…"

Kasumi sighed in frustration.  "He's so stubborn!  Probably went straight to Lab 2, knowing him."

"Think he'd mind some company?"

"I guess not," Kasumi said slowly.  "Could you…take Meganium down with you?"

Gary arched an eyebrow.  "Changed your mind?"  He noticed that she wasn't meeting his eyes.

"No, it's just…that place gives me the creeps.  I'd never go there if it wasn't for Sentry."

"Yeah, sure.  I can do that."

"Could you…stop by on your way back?" Kasumi asked softly, finally looking him in the eye.  "I need to…ask you something later."

"Okay," Gary said slowly, looking slightly confused.  

Kasumi brightened instantly, but somehow, it looked forced.  "Thanks."  She quickly walked away.

Gary watched her go.  "Girls," he muttered.  

_"I heard that,"_ Cleo growled into his head.

* * * * *

Sabrina hardly slept for more than an hour at a time anymore.  Since the Rocket League had come to power, she'd felt a need to be alert at all hours of every day.  When she did sleep, her Alakazam always stayed by her side.  Misdreavus was always hidden somewhere in the vicinity of Sylvie's room, and she always slept with her Pokémon out, anyway.

There were very few Pokémon that could penetrate a defense like that, and the Rocket League had every one of them.

Sylvie's disappearance had been surprising, but not totally unexpected.  Sabrina, for one, was not worried in the least.  Sylvie was without question the second greatest human psychic in the world, and perhaps either by fate or simply blood, she was bound to Sabrina by one of the strongest psychic links in existence.  As a result, Sabrina would've known instantly if Sylvie was in any sort of danger.  

Anyway, Sylvie had taken her Pokémon, wherever she'd run off to, as well as Mikey and Mary.  Despite their ages, all three children and their Pokémon had tons of experience, in and out of battle.  Brock had always assumed that none of the adults would live to see the Rocket League fall, and so he'd drilled the children and their Pokémon relentlessly.  Anyone else would've thought it cruel, but Sylvie had already survived a battle with one of the Elite Five.  It was safe to assume she could hold her own in a full battle against anyone.

Of course, she'd never beaten Sabrina, but that was another matter entirely.

Without warning, Alakazam suddenly appeared in front of her.  Confused as to why he hadn't called her, Sabrina reached into his mind and gasped.

Someone was in Sylvie's room, and they had a powerful psychic type with them.

Sabrina knew right away that the Pokémon's power was…unnatural.  It was even stronger than her Alakazam, but it was…tainted, somehow.  She could sense more than one mind behind it, which just confused her further.  "Come, old friend.  It's time we defended our home."

Despite knowing he was outmatched, Alakazam nodded and teleported them both to Sylvie's room.

Sabrina was hardly surprised to see a young woman leaning over Sylvie's bed.  "Cassidy.  Get out."

Cassidy straightened up and smiled thinly, her black cloak concealing all but her head and boots.  "Hello, Sabrina.  Lovely to see you again."

"What do you want?"

"Your sister, obviously."

"She's not here."

"Too bad."  Cassidy frowned.  "Then my Arbok will have to find something else to eat."

Sabrina felt a stabbing pain in her head and fell to her knees.  She realized it was flooding from her link with Alakazam, and squinted to see what had happened.

To her shock, Cassidy's Arbok was wrapped tightly around Alakazam.  "How?" she whispered.

"Don't worry, your Pokémon's as powerful as it ever was, Sabrina.  But I'm afraid it just pales in comparison to mine."  

There was a sudden movement under Cassidy's cloak, and Sabrina cried out as a fresh, new pain assaulted her mind.

"I hope you can appreciate the irony in what you're about to see," Cassidy said, finally letting her cloak slide open.

Sabrina's eyes widened as they settled on the monstrosity strapped to Cassidy's chest.

At one point, it had clearly been an Abra, but that was no longer the case.  The creature's complexion was a ghostly white, making it resemble a Dewgong in color.  Instead the usual violet, lightweight armor, the creature was fitted with a round, metallic chest plate that was actually bonded to its skin.  Its tail was mysteriously missing, and most disturbing of all were its eyes.

Sabrina had never seen an Abra open its eyes more than a fraction.  In sharp contrast, this one seemed to have lost the ability to even close its eyes at all.  They resembled bloodshot marbles swimming around in its head more than eyes.  

"Permanent state of hyperactivity," Cassidy explained.  "Always awake, always alert, and always in pain.  Partially why it enjoys sharing that pain with others.  I don't think this one's had a nap in months."

A new, alarming thought forced its way into Sabrina's head.  "This…one?" she whispered.

"Oh, yes," Cassidy continued, smiling again.  "There are many more.  Granted, most don't survive the injection, and half of that number spontaneously combust while trying to evolve."

Sabrina lowered her head, realizing she was crying.  The Rocket League already had the most powerful Pokémon alive and the legendary birds.  There was no need to experiment on innocent Pokémon so ruthlessly.

"I believe Sylvie has an Abra, doesn't she?" Cassidy asked.  "I bet it would be the first one to evolve successfully after an injection."

"She'd never let you," Sabrina choked.

Cassidy smirked.  "She wouldn't have much say in it, one we spliced her with the Abra."

Sabrina let out a cry of rage and threw herself at Cassidy, lashing out with the full, unhindered power of her mind.  She was vaguely aware of Arbok's venomous fangs sinking into her ankle, but they might as well have been pinpricks.

Cassidy wisely took a step back, but it was no use.  She had no psychic power to speak of, and her mind instantly ceased to exist.  Her body was thrown aside by the sheer force of Sabrina's will.

The Abra faired only slightly better under the psychic assault.  While it was true he had the genetic material of the original Mewtwo in his body, never before had he been forced to use all his power to defend himself in an instant.  His brain struggled to keep him somewhat sane, while his heart strained to keep beating.  After a moment, both organs exploded, coating Cassidy's front with gore.

Sabrina collapsed to the floor, her body sorely protesting any further action, mental or otherwise.  Her only comfort at the moment was that Arbok's fangs were still in her leg, indicating the deadly snake had caught enough of the blast, as well.  With her last ounce of strength, Sabrina sent a distress call to the rest of the resistance.  "Be safe, my little sister," she whispered before the darkness took her.

* * * * *

"So what's with the disappearing act?"

Satoshi turned around to see Gary and Meganium in the doorway.  "You found me, didn't you?"

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Gary asked.

"This IS rest," Satoshi replied, stroking Meganium's neck.

"Looks more like work to me," Gary said, glancing around Lab 2.  His eyes landed on the three captive Pokémon directly behind Satoshi.

"They require constant study," Satoshi pointed out.  "I'm the only human that can communicate with them, for some reason.  Sentry usually helps, but he's been worn out masking the entire compound and doing in-depth scans of the perimeter.  Not that Clair cares about his or any other Pokémon's health, anyway."

Gary kneeled in front of the nearest glass prison and placed his hand on it.

Though he had been asleep, Entei's eyes snapped open.  He stared at Gary for a long moment, then raised a paw and pressed it to the glass.

"That's the most response he's ever given anyone else," Satoshi said quietly.

Gary pulled back his hand.  "Probably just thought I was you."

Entei kept his paw against the glass, not even blinking.

"Since you're not really resting, I guess that means you've got enough strength for a battle?"

Satoshi tore his gaze from Entei.  "Of course.  I'll use my best."

"Then so will I."  Gary's first instinct was to use Eve, but he wasn't so sure she'd be willing to battle Pikachu.  Then his fingers brushed Marie's pokéball, and the decision was made.

If Satoshi was surprised by Gary's choice, he didn't show it.  Instead, he drew a solid black pokéball out of his cloak.  "Go," he whispered.

Gary couldn't ever remember Pikachu being inside a pokéball, but apparently, that hadn't changed in this world.  What had changed, apparently, was Pikachu's rank as Satoshi's best, because the dark shape that quickly materialized was certainly not Pikachu.

It was a Gengar.

Gary blinked a few times, then looked at Satoshi, who had missed the expression on his opponent's face.  Then, they both shouted attacks at once.

"Confuse Ray!"

"Light Screen!"

Though she was now protected from special attacks, Marie was confused.  Gary had guessed Satoshi's first move ahead of time, fortunately, so even if Marie did hurt herself, she wouldn't do too much damage.

Although Satoshi wasn't going to wait for her head to clear up…or was he?

Gary's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he realized Gengar wasn't attacking.

But the instant Marie regained her senses, she was forced to avoid a Hypnosis attack.

"Thunder!" Gary shouted.

The attack caught Gengar in the side and tossed him against the far wall.  But for some reason, he was grinning evilly as he floated back to the floor.

Gary knew that Gengar would probably have the advantage if this went on too long.  "Thunderpunch!"

Gengar made no attempt at all to avoid the attack.

Now Gary was very worried.  Something was wrong.  He tried another approach.

"Firepunch!"

Both Gengar and Satoshi looked surprised as Marie drove a flaming fist into the ghost Pokémon's belly.  But again, Gengar didn't appear to be hurt at all.  Any other would've been tired at the very least.

Finally, Satoshi gave another command.  "Fire Blast."

Marie took the attack at point-blank range and was forced to the ground.  She recovered quickly, though, and came in low with another Thunderpunch.

Satoshi's voice rang out.  "Electric Fireball."

Gary froze.  He'd never heard THAT attack before.  Neither had Marie, since she couldn't find a way to dodge it.  Gary noticed that she was a lot slower to get up this time, too.  No matter how powerful the attack had been, it shouldn't have hurt her that much if it was heat-based.

"Thuder," Satoshi whispered.

Marie nearly took the attack head on, but it clipped her left leg at the last moment.  She let out a bleat of pain.

Gengar's eyes lit up as Satoshi ordered, "Shadow Ball."  The dark ball of power rapidly began to grow.

Gary knew he had lost, but he refused to admit it.  "Return!" he shouted, and then, just before the ball was released, "Hyper Beam!"

Gengar's eyes widened in shock as the beam hit his ball.

There was a kind of silent explosion, pierced only by two wails of pain.

When the smoke cleared, Marie was unconscious, and Gengar was struggling to its feet.  It appeared to finally be wounded, and very seriously.

"Amazing," Satoshi said after a while.  "Most never figure out how to hurt Gengar."

"Not that it helped much," Gary replied, carefully scooping Marie up in his arms.

Satoshi handed him a Max Revive.  "Then you know what not to do next time."  His face suddenly drained of color, and he fell to his knees.

"Satoshi?" Gary asked, starting to put Marie down.

_"I have him, Master Shigeru."_  Sentry was instantly revealed in the dim light, lifting Satoshi's body with a slight wave of his almost human paw.

"Will he be okay?" 

Sentry nodded.  _"Merely exhaustion from his injury.  I will see to him personally."_  He paused.  _"Your concern for him is appreciated, though."_

"Yeah, well, somebody's gotta look out for him, since he won't himself."

Sentry nodded.  _"Indeed."_

* * * * *

The three children were playing with the Smoochum they had raised together when one of them suddenly froze, as if in shock.

Mikey looked at her.  "Sylvie?  What's wrong?"

Mary bit her lip.  "Sylvie, you're scaring us!  Say something!"

Sylvie didn't say anything.  It looked as if she'd stopped breathing as well.

"Mikey, get Captain Jenny!" Mary cried.  "Hurry!"

Mikey nodded and ran out of the room.

Mary shook her friend.  "Sylvie, don't do this!  You said you'd never be like this again!  You promised!"

Sylvie finally took a deep breath.  "Big sister," she whispered, tears flowing down her face.  "Don't go…don't leave me…please…"

Mary's eyes widened.  "Sabrina?  What's wrong with her?!"

Sylvie's eyes rolled up into her head, and she dropped to the floor.

"Sylvie?!  Speak to me!" Mary pleaded.  

The Smoochum slowly ventured forward and carefully pressed her puffy lips to Sylvie's cheek.  When there was no reaction, she turned to Mary, a curious look on her little face.  "Smooch?"

Mary sniffled and drew the little Pokémon into her arms.  "No, Sweetie.  I don't know what's wrong with Sylvie.  I just wish I could do something for her…"  Tears rolled down her face and splashed on the Smoochum's head.

"Smooch!"  Unable to do anything else, Sweetie reached up and pressed her lips to Mary's chin.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 9: Mental Mayhem

Sylvie goes through a startling change in personality, and Kasumi reveals a secret to Gary.  The Rocket League finds itself at war from the outside, as well as within.  Lance and Clair are both defeated by an unknown opponent, while Sentry and the legendary Pokémon seem to have their own agenda…


	9. Mental Mayhem

Chapter 9: Mental Mayhem 

"Hyper Beam!" Clair & Lance shouted together.

The twin Dragonair fired the powerful beams, bathing the entire arena in blinding light for a few seconds.

When the light faded, a Dratini was revealed at the center of impact…totally unharmed.

Clair smiled proudly.  "I TOLD you," she said, reaching down so the tiny dragon could wind its serpentine body around her right arm.  "None of your dragons were as tough as my Draco is."

Lance grunted.  "If you're so confident, why won't you let him evolve?"

"The longer they spend at each stage, the more powerful they become when they fully evolve."  Clair made a slight hissing sound deep in her throat as she stroked Draco's neck, both which seemed to relax the dragon.  "I might be an old woman when he finally becomes a Dragonite."

"Well, that's hardly going to make you a very desirable wife."

"Oh, please.  I know you're going to marry me as soon as I become League Master."

Lance snorted.  "You forget that you've never beaten me, dearest."

"That's because I've never tried.  I'm strong enough to now, but I want to wait.  Draco's almost reached the point where he can wipe out your entire team by himself.  I might even make President of the Rocket League when the boss sees that."

Lance glared at her.  "You seem very intent on stealing my positions tonight, Clair."

"Well, I'm Vice President and Rocket Chairperson.  I'm supposed to aspire for more."

Lance smirked.  "In that case, I have a business proposition to sate your thirst for success."

Clair's eyes lit up at once, and he knew he had her full attention.  "I'm listening."

Lance produced a large diamond ring from his pocket.  "Why don't you wear this?"

Clair eyed the ring with feigned disinterest.  "That's supposed to keep me from wanting your jobs?"

"As is the impending promise of marriage it comes with," Lance added, sliding the ring onto her finger.  "Provided that you defeat me, of course…"

Clair grunted and stared at the ring.  Finally, she turned to Draco.  "What do you think?"

Draco peered at the ring, then hissed into Clair's ear.  

Clair grunted again.  "And you?" she asked, looking down.

One of the Dragonair curled around her left leg.

"Hmm.  In that case…"  She looked back at Lance.  "We accept your terms."

Lance arched an eyebrow.  "We, huh?  I don't intend to kiss them at the wedding…"

Clair smirked.  "You'd better not, if you're planning on a honeymoon."

Lance laughed.  "Are you kidding?  I planned that FIRST."  

"Naughty boy," she admonished, but her eyes danced with obvious joy.

Lance grinned and tilted her chin up, leaning in to kiss her.

Neither of them saw the huge shadow heading toward them until it was too late. 

* * * * *

"You're going to die, aren't you?" Brock whispered, tracing Sabrina's pale face with his fingers.  He carefully brushed her dark green hair away from her forehead, searching for any external injuries.  "I always thought I would be first, Sabrina.  I am the oldest, really.  Your powers have kept you young for so long, but Sylvie's seem to be making her older by the second.  She reminds me so much of that other you sometimes…the one we used to fear…"  He shook his head and sighed.  "Anything, Joy?" he asked.

Nurse Joy shook her head.  "No brain activity, no pulse, no nothing.  It's as if she willed herself into a coma."

"You're probably right, actually," Brock muttered, frowning.  "What about that bite?"

"It was definitely from the same Arbok that used to belong to Jessie."

"Then we have an antidote?"

"Yes, I gave it to her an hour ago.  The venom's no problem now."

"Just everything else," Brock sighed.  "And there's still no word from Sylvie?  I can't help thinking Sabrina's condition might have affected her, and not in a good way."

Joy shook her head.  "No one's seen her since she was on guard duty with Morty."

Just then, Duplica ran in, a worried look on her face.  "Brock, we've got big trouble!"

Brock raised his head.  "What?"

Duplica pressed a button on the wall, and a monitor lowered from the ceiling, revealing Captain Jenny's anxious face.  

"Now is not the best time, Captain," Brock said in a strained voice.

"I'm aware, Brock.  But you're the only one I could think to call."  Jenny stepped out of the monitor's path.

Joy gasped as they saw Sylvie's small body lying on a bed.  

"She passed out exactly three hours ago, and it's taken us that long just to contact you."  Jenny sighed off-screen.  "I thought maybe you'd have some ideas on how to help her."

Brock stared at the screen.  "Joy, when did Sabrina's telepathic call reach us?"

"Three hours ago," Joy replied, her eyes still full of concern for Sylvie.

"I thought so."  Brock frowned.  "Jenny, do you have any Pokémon that are weak against psychics there?"

Jenny nodded.  "Chigusa and Shiro have some fighting types.  Why?"

"Have them bring one to Sylvie's bedside.  We're going to try an experiment."  Brock turned to Duplica.  "Do you have Ash's Venusaur with you?"

Without a word, Duplica released Venusaur.

A few minutes later , Chigusa's Hitmotop was at Sylvie's side, giving the little girl a curious look.

"So what's this idea of yours, Brock?" Jenny asked.

"Place Sylvie's hand on Hitmontop's head," Brock replied, "and then watch."  

Duplica patted Venusaur's head, and its large flower shook gently, as if caught in a breeze.  Tiny spores floated from the flower and wafted towards Sabrina's body.  Upon contact, the reaction was almost instant.

Sabrina didn't move.

Hitmontop, however, wailed in pain and backed away from Sylvie's hand as quickly as possible.

"What did you do?" Jenny asked in alarm as Chigusa tried to calm Hitmontop by hugging it.

"Poisonpowder," Brock said.  "Being a psychic, Sabrina's mind would've repelled it.  And it did, in a way…because Sabrina's mind is in Sylvie's body."

"WHAT?!" Duplica cried.

Brock sighed patiently.  "Hitmontop was harmed because Sylvie's body reacted with psychic force.  But Sabrina's mind was what told Sylvie's body to react that way."

"But…why would Sabrina do that to Sylvie?" Joy asked.  "To rob her own sister of her mind…"

Brock shook his head.  "Sylvie's mind isn't gone.  It's working with Sabrina's.  A perfect match, you might say.  The DNA is certainly all there.  I can only assume that Sabrina would rather place her mind in her sister's head than be controlled by the Rocket League.  They would've used Sabrina against us, if Cassidy had captured her."  

"And it'd be hard enough to catch Sylvie with just one mind," Duplica said slowly.  "With two, she's virtually unstoppable."

"Or she will be, when she wakes up," Brock pointed out.  "Jenny, I'd suggest you have Mary & Mikey close by when that happens.  You don't want to alarm her in that state…"

"Of course not," Jenny said quickly.  "But isn't there anything else we can do for her?"

"I doubt it will take very long for Sylvie to recover from the shock of 'losing' and 'gaining' Sabrina all at once.  Once she wakes up, I'd advise that you do whatever she says.  Two psychics will most likely have the patience of none.  If you have any problems, we'll be in touch."

The screen went blank.

"What now?" Duplica asked.

Brock sighed heavily.  "Prepare to mobilize.  As soon as Sylvie wakes up, we're taking down the Rocket League once and for all."

* * * * *

Gary frowned as he recalled his battle with Satoshi mere hours ago.  "It was like every attack Marie threw at that Gengar had no effect.  And I haven't used her often enough to be sure, but I think she got tired a lot faster than usual.  Remember how tough she was when we battled?"

"That's something Togetic nor I would ever forget," Kasumi replied honestly.  She smiled a bit as Togetic gently fanned Marie's back with his wings.  "This Frieda of yours must be an amazing trainer."

Gary didn't say anything.  He had mentioned Frieda moments before, only saying that they'd traded a few times and that she had once turned down an offer to become a gym leader.  It was certainly true; several of Frieda's siblings were also excellent trainers, and all of them had turned down at least one offer of becoming a gym leader.  Monica, the eldest sister, seemed to be of the opinion that her family's sole purpose was to share their gifts with every trainer they came in contact with…on the proper days, anyway.

Anything else would just get in the way.

"Shigeru?" Kasumi said, giving him a look.  

He got the feeling that she'd been calling him for a while now.  "What?"

"I asked if you wanted to know why you couldn't beat Gengar."

Gary blinked.  "You weren't there."

"It doesn't matter.  I know how Satoshi thinks, and I know things about his Pokémon that you don't."

"Like what, Kasumi?"

She smirked.  "Like the fact that his Gengar can absorb any and every kind of heat directed at it, including fire and electric.  Not only that, Gengar can turn it back on his opponents with devastating results.  You saw their infamous Electric Fireball, no doubt.  It's like he made an evil clone of Pikachu or something."

"That doesn't explain why Marie was so tired."

Kasumi grinned.  "You still don't get it, Shigeru.  Gengar absorbs ALL types of heat.  Even body heat.  And with Marie being an electric type only using fire and electric attacks, she had to be giving off tons of the stuff.  It's no wonder she could barely give him a scratch, with all the energy she was giving him.  In fact, I'd say Gengar was probably absorbing heat from you two the moment you walked into the lab."

Gary frowned.  "That's cheating."

Kasumi shrugged.  "It's also another reason why no one wants to battle Satoshi.  His Gengar's too powerful.  Sometimes he actually leaves it out in the sun all day…with Charizard, if you can believe that!"

"What about Pikachu?"

"What about him?  He's a fine Pokémon, but there's no competing with that Gengar.  It's not like Satoshi ignores him; they still go everywhere together.  Pikachu just hasn't needed to battle much since Gengar stepped up."  She lowered her voice.  "Personally, I think he's getting older, and de-evolving from Raichu might be putting a big strain on him.  Satoshi's under the impression that he and his Pokémon are invincible."

Gary smirked.  "Well, can you blame him?  An ego the size of a Snorlax is almost required when you're one of the Elite Five."

Kasumi suddenly frowned.

"What?  Okay, I'm sorry.  I didn't think you'd take it personally."

But Kasumi was still frowning as she stood up.  "Who are you?" she whispered softly.

Gary stared at her.  "What?"

"Who are you?" she repeated.  "You're not Shigeru.  You can't be.  You look, talk, and act an awful lot like him, I'll give you that much.  But you're NOT him."

Gary wasn't about to let on that she was right.  "Kasumi, what are you talking about?  You think just because I lose to Satoshi once-"

"Don't be stupid; everyone loses to Satoshi," she snapped.  "That's not how I know you're a fake."

Gary was about to ask if she was crazy, but Cleo spoke to him just then.

"Tell her the truth, Trainer Gary.  I believe we can trust her.  Sally agrees with me…" 

He sighed and licked his lips.  "How, then?"

Kasumi's face lost most of its menace.  "Pikachu," she said simply.

Gary blinked.  "Huh?"

She smiled.  "In all the time I knew him, Shigeru NEVER called Pikachu by his name.  It was always 'electric rodent' or 'yellow rat' or 'Mickey wanna-be', things like that.  But you called him Pikachu while we were carrying Satoshi in.  And you've just done it again now."    

"That's IT?  That's all you're basing this on?!"

Kasumi shook her head.  "No.  There's one other thing, a big one.  Shigeru would've made at least one attempt to win me back from Satoshi by now.  You didn't."

"What, getting kidnapped in your place doesn't impress you?"

"Actually, it did.  Shigeru wouldn't have done that, either.  He'd have battled his way out of it.  That was usually his answer to most situations.  He was a true innovator when it came to Pokémon strategy, him and Satoshi both."  She stared at him for a long moment.  "So.  Who are you?"

Gary ran a hand through his hair.  "In a way, I AM Shigeru."  He saw her opening her mouth to protest, and quickly added, "But not the one you know.  Not the one any of you knew.  This will sound crazy, so maybe you should sit down."

Kasumi sat, an impassive look on her face.  She definitely looked ready for whatever he had to say.

"My name is Gary Oak.  I come from another world, and another time, where none of this ever happened."

Kasumi continued to look at him.  "I'm guessing you have some proof?"

Gary smirked.  "Other than the fact that I look exactly like the Gary you knew?"

Kasumi glared at him.  "Yes, other than that."

"When we battled, you sent out Pokémon with psychic attacks against my Umbreon."

She frowned.  "Umbreon?"

"It's a Dark Eevee evolution.  The fact that I know about it and you don't should be proof enough."

"So you're well-informed.  That doesn't prove anything."

Gary sighed.  "Look, Kasumi.  I don't have time for this now.  Either you believe me or you don't, and it probably won't matter pretty soon, if my hunch is right.  But the fact is, I'm here and Shigeru's not."

"If you've hurt him…" Kasumi began, reaching for a pokéball.

"Relax.  I've only seen pictures of the guy.  I'm not here to replace him."

"Then why are you here?"

Gary frowned, then replied, "I came for Ash and Misty."

Kasumi stared at him, her face draining of color.  She opened her mouth, and looked as if she might scream.

Suddenly, Cleo burst from her pokéball and used Confusion.

Togetic was knocked out instantly.  Kasumi's eyes rolled up into her head, and she began to sink to the floor.

Gary barely caught her in time.  "Cleo, what did you-"

"In its confused state, her mind was more vulnerable to psychic attacks just then.  I didn't want her to alert anyone to your identity, Trainer Gary."

Gary carefully placed Kasumi on her bed.  "Well, warn me next time, will you?"

_"Sorry, but there was no AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"_

Gary spun around to see Cleo collapse to the floor in a heap.  He was shocked to see the red dot on her forehead was now a dull black.  "Cleo?!"

Sally emerged from her pokéball and bent over Cleo, inspecting her closely.

A moment later, Eve was released to translate.  _"Sally says Cleo was hit by an incredible wave of dark power, but there was something…strange about it."_

"Like what?" Gary asked, stroking Cleo's head.

"It was coated in psychic power.  That's how it slipped past her defenses."

Gary frowned.  "A Pokémon that uses dark and psychic attacks?"

"It's more than that.  Sally says the wave is affecting all the islands, too.  Every psychic type for miles will be crippled.  That means the Pokémon that sent it out is scary strong."

"Great.  And I bet I have to go find it," Gary muttered.  "Where do I even start?"

Eve looked at Sally, then nodded.  _"The wave originated in Lab 2."_

"Lab 2?  Are you sure?"

"Well…no.  But Sally thinks that's our best bet."

"Wait.  Are the psychic types here down, too?"

"I know what you're thinking Gary, but this goes beyond the Rocket League.  EVERY psychic type is down.  Except for Sally, anyway."

Gary smirked and patted Sally's head fondly.  "Figures."

* * * * *

Tracey was just starting to doze off when Copycat shook him awake.  "Huh?  What?"

Sylvie was sitting up in her bed, blinking and looking around slowly.

Tracey quickly woke up Mikey and Mary, who hurried over to Sylvie's side.

"Are you okay, Sylvie?" Mary asked.

Sylvie glanced in her direction, then carefully got out of bed.  She bent down and picked up the Smoochum at Mary's feet.  "Hello, Sweetie.  Did you miss me?"

"Smooch!" Sweetie replied happily, planting a kiss on Sylvie's nose.

"Sylvie?" Tracey asked, and then hesitantly, "Sabrina…?"  
  


"They are both safe," Sylvie said.  "We must go."

"Where?" Mikey asked.

"The Rocket League.  The one true Pokémon Master is already there."

"One true…do you mean Satoshi?" Mary asked.

But Sylvie would say no more.

* * * * *

Giovanni and Butch stood side by side in the infirmary, saying nothing.

Cassidy, who had been in a coma since her battle with Sabrina, occupied the first bed.

Lance & Clair took up the next two beds.  Unlike Cassidy, their injuries were more obvious and severe.  Both looked as if they'd been caught in a rockslide.  Lance had taken more damage, presumably from trying to protect Clair.  Neither of them was expected to wake up any time soon.

Their Pokémon had been soundly defeated.  Even Draco, Clair's prize Dratini, was in intensive care.

This left Giovanni with several problems.  

First and foremost, someone had penetrated their defenses.  That left everyone on the four islands in danger.

Second, Satoshi and Sentry were missing.  Giovanni preferred to think that they were together, as that offered some comfort.

Third, all the psychics were incapacitated.  

Fourth, someone had dared to attack…his children.

Fifth, the Elite Five was down to Three.

"Butch," Giovanni said quietly.  "You now have Cassidy's rank.  Her Pokémon are yours."  He placed a pokéball into the astonished young man's hand.  "Take this.  Find Shigeru and Kasumi at all costs.  Stay together and patrol the islands.  I will not suffer any more losses."

Butch nodded.  "Yes, sir."

Giovanni left the room quickly.

Butch leaned over Cassidy and kissed her pale forehead.  "I'll kill Sabrina for this, Cass.  I swear it."  He frowned.  "None of this would've happened if it weren't for Shigeru.  First chance I get, he's gonna be in here right beside you."

* * * * *

Morty and Duplica stood on the edge of the Viridian Forest, waiting patiently.

"Are we really doing this?" Morty asked.  

Duplica nodded.  "Not much choice now.  The Rocket League's never gonna be this vulnerable twice."

Moments later, the PokePolice cruisers pulled up.

"You two ready?" Jenny asked, biting her lip.

"As we're gonna get," Duplica replied, climbing in.

"Where are Brock and Whitney?"

"They're staying with Sabrina," Morty answered.  "Just in case."

"Of course."  Jenny paused.  "I trust you all know each other?"

Duplica and Copycat stared at each other for a long moment before looking away.

"Something like that," Morty said with a smirk.  

Sylvie peered back at him from the passenger's seat.  "We could've used Steelix."

Morty winked at her.  "Just because Brock isn't here doesn't mean his spirit isn't."

* * * * *

Satoshi woke up in total darkness.  Instinctively, he reached beneath his cloak for Pikachu, but found his old companion strangely absent.  "Pikachu?" he whispered.

There was a snort behind him, and then a bright flame came into view, revealing a large, familiar outline.

"Charizard."  Satoshi slowly stood up and a placed a hand on the dragon's side to steady himself.  "Where's Pikachu?"

Rocks shifted as Charizard turned and led Satoshi through the cave, stopping every so often so his trainer could catch up.

Soon, they reached a small shrine that Satoshi recognized.  "Dragon's Den," he murmured.  "But how did we get here?"

There was a quiet chattering near Satoshi's left ear, and he ducked at once.  "What…?!"

"Relax, Satoshi," said a laughing voice.  "They won't harm you."

Satoshi frowned.  "Show yourself."

"You're the one with the Charizard, old friend."

Charizard's flame grew higher at once, bathing the cavern in an eerie, orange glow.

Satoshi immediately noticed the many black shapes near the roof of the cavern, darting in and out of view.  Though they were all different, each had a single, glowing eye that spun about wildly.

"I take it you know my little friends."

Satoshi turned in the direction of the voice, and his throat went dry.

Standing in front of the shrine, holding Pikachu in his arms, was Shigeru.  But it was not the same young man that Satoshi had battled mere hours ago.  He knew without question that this was the Shigeru he'd spent all of his life competing against, the one he considered his true equal and brother in every way that still mattered.

"A little unexpected, I know," Shigeru said quietly.  "But he was in pretty bad shape."

Satoshi stared at him.  

"The rat," he added, nodding at the electric mouse.  "Otherwise I wouldn't touch him at all.  But he's getting better with every passing moment."

Satoshi saw something moving on Pikachu's forehead, and recognized it as one of the same Pokémon dancing along the cavern roof.  This one had a very prominent eye, surrounded by a circular ring of black, thin flesh.  "What is it…doing to him?"

Shigeru smiled mysteriously.  "These Pokémon…they're unlike anything we've ever seen before.  Usually, Pokémon are just confined to one or two types.  But these…each of them unlocks a new ability in the host."

"Host?" Satoshi asked.  "They're…parasites?"

"You've got it all wrong, Satoshi.  They don't take anything from the Pokémon, only add.  Make it stronger.  All they want is a chance to use their power, nothing more."  He pointed to the one on Pikachu's head.  "This one's a ghost type.  Now your rat can absorb heat, not just electricity.  It'll make him twice as strong, once he heals up properly."

"And what happens to…that?"  He gestured to the black Pokémon, which was making a strange, shrill whining sound.

"They call themselves the Unown.  Afterwards, it detaches itself, leaving you with a super-powered rodent.  Maybe even strong enough to beat that Gengar of yours."

"Why did you bring me here, Shigeru?  And…who was it that I battled with?"

"You'll know everything soon, old friend."  He handed over Pikachu.  "But for now, we've got to get over to the Arena.  Sentry and the other legendaries are waiting there."

Satoshi's eyes widened.  "How did you know about them?"

"Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I haven't been here."  Shigeru laughed and gestured to the Unown.  "I have eyes everywhere, after all."

Several of the Unown disengaged from the crowd and formed a ring around Shigeru.  They rotated in a surreal way that made Satoshi's head hurt if he watched too long.  "What are they doing?"

"Talking," Shigeru replied absently, apparently more focused on his 'conversation' with the Unown.  "They're excited about something."

"What?"

"Well, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but…apparently, it's the end of the world."

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 10: Afraid of the Dark

Gary discovers the controlling force behind the Rocket League, and Giovanni's plans for the legendary cats.  Sylvie challenges Butch to a life-or-death battle, while Kasumi ceases to exist.  Plus, Shigeru tells all.

Note: The part about the unknown is kinda sorta true.  Though all are psychic and have Hidden Power (normal), that attack gives each access to an attack of another type.  So there are some ghost Unown and psychic Unown and even dark Unown, but they're not very strong…alone, anyway.


	10. Afraid of the Dark

Note: I've tried to keep all the chapters at ten pages, but since I'm nearing the end and there will be several battles and long explanations, it'll spill over.  I originally planned for 13 chapters, but it depends on how the chapters shape up.  Just a warning to anyone who's saving or printing (and bless you if you are!).  

Chapter 10: Afraid of the Dark 

The group proceeded in silence, partially because they didn't want the Rocket League knowing they were there, but mostly because Sylvie had silenced everyone with a glare.  The girl's presence was actually frightening now, and her limited expressions were bone-chilling.  Those present who had been unfortunate enough to witness Sabrina's smaller "shadow self" years before shuddered collectively, for it was if she had been reborn, but with ten times the power, yet with none of the sadistic but playful attitude.

Although the strangest thing about the new Sylvie was her obvious connection to her Pokémon.  Though she all but ignored anyone human, Sylvie had not put down Sweetie since they'd left PokePolice HQ.  Even now, the Smoochum's head poked out of Sylvie's backpack, trying to infect everyone with its normally contagious smile.  But with Sylvie leading, no one really felt all that happy.  

For some reason, Morty was the only one who didn't appear to be bothered by Sylvie's transformation.  He walked directly behind her, slightly ahead of the rest of the group.  If anything, he almost seemed to be protective of her, unnecessary as it was.  

Sylvie came to a sudden stop in the middle of the forest they'd been sneaking through.  "We will separate here."

"Is that wise?" Chigusa asked.

Sylvie pointedly ignored her.  "Duplica and Copycat will enter RL HQ and shut down the remaining security systems.  That will give the rest of you easy access.  Mikey, Mary, and Nurse Joy will track down the Pokémon behind all this chaos."

"What about you?" Nurse Joy asked, looking a bit hesitant.

Sylvie sighed.  "Morty and I will take care of the Elite."

"By yourselves?!" Shiro cried in sheer disbelief.

"You have a problem with this?" Morty asked quietly.

"I do," Captain Jenny said, stepping forward.  "I'd prefer it if each group had one of us in it.  I don't want any other laws broken…other than the obvious breaking and entering charges."

"Well, I would prefer it if other humans would utilize the remaining 90% of their brainpower," Sylvie snapped, her voice cold.  "So I guess we'll both have to be disappointed this night, Captain.  Now, if you're quite through wasting my time, we're going.  Follow my orders or end up dead a lot faster.  The world will be a better place by tomorrow either way."  With that, she turned and walked off.

"Definitely got Sabrina in her," Duplica murmured, before following Copycat away from the group.

"You'll have to accept Sylvie's attitude for now, I'm afraid, Captain," Morty said.  "But trust me, she knows exactly what she's doing."

"But is she Sylvie or Sabrina?" Jenny asked.

Morty gave her a blank look.  "Assuming I did know that, I don't think it would be wise to tell you."  He turned on his heel and went after Sylvie, who, much to his surprise, had stopped a few yards away.  "You waited for me?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Of course," Sylvie sighed, managing to look impatient and somewhat pleased at the same time.  "I LIKE having you around."  Almost absently, she slipped her small hand into his and began to walk again.

Morty kept quiet as usual, though he couldn't help wondering whether it was Sabrina or Sylvie that preferred his company more.  He suspected it was the latter, though the former also held some…interesting possibilities, to say the least.

"So, you really believe we can defeat the Elite alone?" he asked a moment later.

"No, I don't BELIEVE we can," Sylvie replied.  "I KNOW we will.  We only have to beat one of them, anyway, and it's the most incompetent one of all."

"You know this how?" Morty mused, suppressing the urge to chuckle.

Sylvie's eyes flashed with obvious psychic power.  "Cassidy, Lance, Clair, and Kasumi are all unconscious.  Satoshi and Shigeru are…otherwise occupied, to say the least.  Which leaves…"

"Butch," Morty answered, frowning a bit.  "It almost seems too easy."

"Glad you feel that way," Sylvie said, coming to a stop.  "Although, I wouldn't tell him that.  Yet."

A moment later, Butch stepped into view, and his face instantly broke into a snarl.  "YOU!" he shouted, glaring at Sylvie.

Sylvie rolled her eyes.  "Are we going to battle or just shout at each other all night?"

Butch started, then smirked.  "Fine with me.  I'll take you both on!"

Sylvie actually smiled, though it had nothing to do with happiness.  "Joy," she said dryly.  "But this time, you pay for what your partner did to Sabrina…and what you tried to do to Sylvie.  This time…we fight to the death."

"Agreed," Butch snapped.  "And you will pay for what your sister did to Cassidy, you little witch!"

"Well, if you're willing to give up two perfectly good Pokémon and your own life, don't let me to stop you."

Morty hesitated, though not out of fear.  "Sylvie," he said quietly.  "While I marvel at your tenacity, I have to wonder if this is wise.  You only woke up a few hours ago.  Should you really be pushing your powers, considerable as they are?"

Sylvie looked amused, if nothing else.  "While your concern is greatly appreciated, Morty, it is misplaced.  I need no psychic powers to read Butch.  He is an open book to one such as me.  A children's book, in fact…with pretty pictures and no words worth saying, anyway.  But if it will ease your mind, I'll go first so you won't have to worry about me when you battle."

That wasn't quite the response Morty had been looking for.  

But Sylvie was already lowering her backpack to the ground.  "Go, Sweetie.  Make Mommy proud."

Sweetie hopped out of the backpack and bounced in place excitedly, looking very determined.  "Smooch!"

Butch grinned.  "You've GOT to be kidding me."

* * * * *

Gary didn't like leaving Kasumi and Cleo alone, and even when he'd dispatched Leon to guard them, it didn't feel right.  Kasumi and Shigeru had been in love, after all.  She might feel betrayed when she woke up, and the last thing Gary needed was Satoshi's wrath coming down on his head.  There was already too much going on that he didn't understand.  He hated walking into any situation blind; it gave the enemy the advantage.

Well, not totally blind.  

Sally the Celebi was walking just in front of him, her body giving off a soft, celestial glow that lit up the otherwise dark corridor.  She was definitely turning out to be a terribly useful Pokémon.  But then, he'd expected nothing less from a legendary that didn't even show up in his Pokédex.

Eve suddenly twitched on his shoulder.

"What is it, girl?" Gark asked, stopping to stroke her back.

_"I…I sense something powerful…and…evil…"_  She moved closer to his cheek.  _"Gary, I'm scared…"_

Sally had stopped as well, but for an entirely different reason.

A steel door, marked only with a large, ominously crimson number 2, loomed before them.

Gary stepped forward and placed his hand on the keypad.  As it had before, the security system confirmed that his genetic structure matched Shigeru's exactly.  The door rumbled and then slid open.

The lab looked just as it had hours ago…but empty.

The legendaries were gone, yet their glass prisons remained sealed.  It was as if someone had let them out and then went to the trouble of closing the tubes again.  Or perhaps the Pokémon had somehow passed through the glass.

Sally immediately went over to the security cameras and began jabbing at the console with her vines.

Gary hesitantly touched the tube that had once contained Entei.  It was not overly warm, nor too cold.  No clues there.  He was just about to withdraw his hand when a vision leaked into his mind.

…Sentry raising a paw, telekinetically rearranging the molecules in the glass so the three legendary beasts could pass through them…

The idiocy of Giovanni was suddenly all too clear…and disturbing.  How could he trust such a powerful Pokémon—and Mewtwo's heir, no less—to guard his most prized Pokémon?  Why would he take such a risk?

Trophies, came the immediate answer.  He didn't want the beasts to use.  He only wanted them so he could say he'd done what no one else had: caught Entei, Suicine, and Raikou.  Perhaps, once he'd had Clair break their individual wills, or "tamed" them, he would've given them to his Elite.

Gary glanced over his shoulder, only slightly surprised to find that Sally had pulled up a view of the arena.  All three legendary beasts were sitting on the sidelines, looking restless.  Satoshi stood next to Entei, occasionally glancing down to check on the unconscious Pikachu in his arms.  It looked as if he might be talking to someone. 

For no real reason at all, Gary began to tap his fingers against the glass.  It was becoming clear that he wasn't going to find anything in Lab 2.  Whatever had caused the dark wave of power was probably long gone.  Eve had just sensed the aftermath of its power, nothing more.  Although he couldn't ever recall her being this spooked over nothing.  Even now, she was still shaking slightly on his shoulder.

Then, on the screen, someone stepped in front of Satoshi, a tattered, brown cloak swirling about them.  The person blocked the view for a few more seconds before turning, squatting, and peering directly into the camera so that there could be no mistaking his identity.

Gary's throat went dry, and he found it hard to breathe.

Shigeru stared at him for a long moment, before suddenly raising his hand in a wave and grinning merrily.

Almost at once, there was a soft, nearly inaudible click.

Gary's eyes were drawn back to Entei's tube, only to find that it and the others were sinking into the floor.  

Eve suddenly became frantic.  "Gary…let's just go….please?!" 

"Sorry, girl," Gary murmured sympathetically, reaching up to stroke her back.  "But we've come too far to turn back now."

Perhaps, if he'd realized that all the cameras had gone dead, he would've agreed with her.

A large, black platform was now rising out of the floor.  It was nearly twice the size of a helicopter pad, and seemed to pulse with energy.

Sally returned to Gary's side, gazing at the platform with great interest.  Slowly, she tapped the edge of it with an exploring vine.

Gary was the first to notice the black substance creeping nearer and nearer to his feet.  It all seemed to originate from the platform—and then he knew that it was not a platform at all.

But by then, the surface had begun to ripple ominously, and two yellow, glowing eyes peered out of the darkness.  Then a head rose out of the liquid, followed by a long, sleek neck.

Gary took a few steps back and scooped Sally into his arms.  "What are you?" he whispered, not sure whether to be afraid or just in awe.

The eyes flashed dangerously.  "Hopelessness, despair, and fear.  Darkness within darkness.  Evil without equal."

"But…you're a Pokémon," Gary protested weakly.  "They're not…"

"Evil?  No, they are not."  The black head seemed to dip and lean forward.  "But man is evil.  And the evil of man can corrupt…taint…infect."  The liquid sloshed loudly, and two appendages that might've been wings made a brief appearance.  "Once, I was the most powerful Pokémon alive.  What you see before is not my evolution, but my regression.  Yet, in this form, I have harnessed a new, untapped potential within me.  A potential for evil, and a thirst for destruction.  And now that you have freed me, you will be the first to witness my grand design."

"I don't understand.  You're the one controlling the Elite Five?  Why?  And…why are you helping the Rocket League?"

The creature snarled.  "Helping is hardly the word for it.  For centuries, I hid myself in the deepest part of the oceans, away from the foolishness of man.  But one day, Giovanni and his men blasted their way into my resting place.  I would've destroyed them instantly for their arrogance…if not for the Pokémon."

"What Pokémon?" Gary asked.

"There were three Pokémon I had never seen before.  Each had been…tainted by man, and yet…their transformations were by far the most extraordinary I'd ever seen.  I will show you."

Gary's Pokédex suddenly beeped, and he drew it from his pocket.  "Kingdra, the Dragon Pokémon.  Slowking, the Royal Pokémon.  Politoed, the Frog Pokémon.  Mewtwo, the Genetic Pokémon."

"They're all half water types, except Mewtwo," Gary murmured.  "Kasumi must've been there…"

"Yes," the creature confirmed.  "Once the girl arrived with her Pokémon, the men drew back.  But she didn't give the Pokémon a single command.  As soon as she released the Slowking, they all began to act.  The Mewtwo prevented me from escaping, and the Kingdra battled me relentlessly."  The creature's eyes flashed as it spoke.  "Never before had I faced such an unstoppable foe.  It turned away all my attacks with little more than a nod, and we fought for hours.  A long stream of fire flew from its mouth, but instead of burning, it paralyzed me completely."

"Dragonbreath," Gary muttered.  "Clair's suggestion, no doubt."

"Then the Politoed came forward and began to sing.  It was a haunting, echoing tune, and I could sense it was trying to put me to sleep.  But by sheer strength of will, I fought it with everything I had left.  Suddenly, the cave was full of Poliwhirl.  With no regard for their bodies, they flung themselves at me."

Gary could almost picture each Body Slam taking its toll.  It was probably a good thing they hadn't been Poliwrath.

"The Poliwhirl fell back, and they all began to sing as one.  I couldn't fight them off.  The last thing I remember was the girl coming towards me with a blue pokéball before I fell asleep."

Gary was finding it a little difficult to believe that Kasumi had captured such a powerful creature.  Especially one with such a hatred of humanity.

The dark Pokémon chuckled.  "My hatred did not exist until I was exposed to the true horrors of the Rocket League.  Do you know what their ultimate goal is?"

"World domination," Gary replied automatically.

"Concerning Pokémon, though?"

Gary paused.  "To possess the most powerful Pokémon."

"Only half right.  Their goal is to create the most powerful Pokémon.  Man—Giovanni especially—is not satisfied with just having legendary Pokémon.  He must create them in order to be truly proud."

"But legendaries can't be bred," Gary noted.

"No," the dark Pokémon agreed, "they cannot.  But they can be created through science, technology…and a large amount of pain on the donor's part.  Though I sincerely doubt that any legendary willingly parted with their genetic material for Giovanni's purposes."

"Has he…made any progress?"

The Pokémon's head loomed closer, nearly touching Gary's.  "Have you ever seen an Abra that can't sleep because it's in constant pain?  Or a Charizard that can't fly because it's wings are made of ice?  Or a Magnemite that can bleed because it has a molten lava core?  Or an Electabuzz electrocuting itself because its powers were too strong?  That's what happens when you inject Pokémon with legendary DNA.  And that was just from Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, and Mewtwo.  There's no telling what mistakes will be born if Giovanni has a chance to experiment with the three legendary beasts."

"What about you?" Gary asked, then wished he hadn't.

The creature slowly moved its head away.  "I have no name now.  But I remember what I used to be."

Gary's Pokedex beeped.  "Lugia, the Diving Pokémon."

* * * * * 

Butch growled as Cassidy's prize Rapidash fell to the ground, completely frozen by the Smoochum's first attack.  "This isn't possible!" he screamed.

"But it is," Sylvie replied, kneeling to pat Sweetie's head.  "Subzero is the only ice attack that's guaranteed to freeze the opposing Pokémon…even fire types.  I would expect one of the Elite to know that…"

Butch licked his lips and grinned.  "Elite, huh?  I'll show you the TRUE power of the Elite!!!"

As if in response, a pokéball beneath Butch's cloak began to glow crimson.

Butch grabbed it and tossed it out quickly, as if it hurt him to hold it.  Tiny flames sprang up where the pokéball hit the ground.  "Let's see what you can do against the unstoppable power of MOLTRES THE MIGHTY!!!"

The pokéball simply exploded outward, never to be used again.  A column of fire enveloped the area between the two rebels and the Elite trainer, scorching the grassy ground completely.  It was impossible to see through the flames, but an ear-piercing shriek announced the arrival of the third legendary bird.

Sylvie didn't look the least bit afraid, but Sweetie trembled and hid in the safety of her trainer's arms.

"I believe it's my turn."  Morty stepped forward, fingering a solid black pokéball in his left hand.

Butch sneered as the column of fire gradually died down, revealing Moltres just above them.  "You dare to challenge Moltres with a mere ghost Pokémon?!"

"Not quite.  This is the ultimate ghost type."  Morty smiled.  "Pay attention, Sylvie.  You might learn something."  With an almost careless motion, he tossed out the pokéball.

"FIRE BLAST!" Butch yelled before it could open.

The glowing symbol of fire slammed into the pokéball, surrounding it completely in flames.

Morty was still smiling.  "Withdraw."

Butch stared at him.  "What are you…?"

A violet shell was soon revealed at the point of impact.  It was, very obviously, a large Cloyster shell.

"You're crazy," Butch whispered, a twisted grin spreading across his face.  "No!  You're NUTS!"

"Am I?" Morty asked.  "My Cloyster still stands.  Perhaps your Moltres isn't as mighty as you would believe."

Outraged by the insult, Moltres dove at the Cloyster shell.

"FIRE DRILL!" Butch shouted, laughter in his tone.

The flaming beak of Moltres came down on the shell with a loud crunch, and a tiny crack appeared…but not in the shell.  Moltres shrieked in anger and pain as it rose up, readying its most powerful attack.

"Now you're going to pay!  HELL ON EARTH!"

The sky turned a smoldering orange as Moltres went higher and higher.  Impossibly, a ray of sun broke through the once night sky.

"Incredible," Sylvie murmured.  "Moltres can summon the sun itself…"

"Not for long."  Morty threw back his cloak.  "Cloyster!  REVELATION!"

An unearthly scream began from the depths of Cloyster's shell, rising to bloodcurdling as the shell slowly creaked open.  

Sylvie and Sweetie wailed in pain as the scream assaulted their ears.  Sylvie was vaguely aware of why it hurt so much.  The scream itself was the indeed the cry of a ghost…and, amazingly enough, it was just the beginning of the most powerful dark attack she'd ever seen.

Something black and violet flew from Cloyster's shell, rocketing into the sky with astounding speed.

Even if Moltres had been watching, there was no way even its speed could dodge Cloyster's attack.  The instant the black substance touched Moltres's flame aura, it stopped…and so did the flames.

Moltres looked down in surprise, naked without its flames for the first time in its long existence.

The black substance threw itself at Moltres and engulfed the bird totally.  Black, hungry tendrils flew from the central mass, reaching across—and into—the sky.

Morty raised his arms.  "RETURN!"

The black substance flew back into the shell and clamped shut, the sound echoing throughout the still night.  The sky was dark again, the night restored.

There was a tiny beep, and Morty turned to see that Sylvie had her Pokédex out.

"Revelation (Dark/Ghost).  Cloyster's most powerful attack.  Few Cloyster can use this move, and those that do can only learn Withdraw, Return, and Rest in addition.  The move can and should only be used every ten years, as the energies it releases are so enormous, they could endanger the Cloyster."

Morty patted the shell.  "Rest, old friend.  Rest well."

There was a sigh from deep within the shell as the Cloyster fell asleep.

"I don't suppose you managed to breed your Cloyster from a Snorlax?" Sylvie asked.

"No," Morty replied with a smile.  "Actually, it's not really a Cloyster anymore.  There's just no name for what it's become."

"I'm listening," Sylvie said.

"Very well.  You know that Slowpoke evolve when a Shellder clamps onto their tails.  My Cloyster evolved in much the same way.  It happened while I was training in Mt. Silver."

"I knew it!" Sylvie cried.  "It's been possessed by a Misdreavus!"

"Yes and no," Morty said.  "There IS a Misdreavus in there, somewhere.  But it works with Cloyster, not against it.  Although with Cloyster being Water/Ice, Misdreavus needs large amounts of heat to sustain itself.  I have to keep it in my active party at all times, and always very close to my body."

"Then why do they live in Mt. Silver?"

"Simple.  The more powerful the Pokémon, the more heat Misdreavus can draw from it.  It's not the cold that draws them there.  There's just no other place in the world with more powerful Pokémon."

Sylvie glanced around.  "Where's Butch?"

Morty recalled Cloyster.  "You did say it was a life-or-death battle.  You are alive, aren't you, my dear?"

Her eyes widened with understanding.

"Yes, he was a person.  But to Cloyster, he was just another heat source.  I'm amazed there was no indigestion."

Just then, a gaseous shade took shape before Sylvie.

"Mr. Mist!  What are you doing here?" she asked, raising a hand, as if to hold the shade in her hand.

Red eyes formed in the shade.

"Really?  You're sure?  In that case, we better find Satoshi first."

"What is it?" Morty asked, obviously uncomfortable with not understanding a ghost.

"Mr. Mist says that Lugia—or whatever he is now—is loose.  And he's mad."

Morty frowned.  "This night keeps getting better and better…"

* * * * * 

Duplica was amazed at how simple it had been to slip into Rocket League HQ.  She was beginning to suspect that someone had already disarmed most of the security systems.  It was the why that bothered her.  She could never remember Giovanni being so confident as to invite them into his headquarters, even when he'd controlled Mewtwo.  Something was very, very wrong about all this.

Just ahead of her, Copycat paused, kneeling on the floor.

Duplica stopped as well.  Despite the fact that Copycat was deaf and mute, she could somehow sense things that most people who could hear would miss.  In truth, there was no one else Duplica would trust enough to guide her safely through unknown territory.  Of course, that still didn't mean she had to like the girl at all.

The two were related, of that there could be no doubt.  Duplica considered Copycat her cousin, while Copycat preferred to see Duplica as her sister.  Ever since they could crawl, both had devoted themselves to imitation acts.  Duplica specialized in humans, and Copycat in Pokémon.  But while Duplica's "House of Imitate" had bombed, Copycat's Pokédolls had become world-famous.  She'd made a fortune after signing an exclusive deal with Celadon's Shopping Mall, but had just put all the money right back into making the dolls she loved so much.  In Duplica's eyes, she was either a genius or dumber than a Slowbro.

Duplica touched Copycat's shoulder gently.  "What is it, Cat?"

Copycat held up two fingers, then pointed three downward in an M shape.

Duplica frowned.  Two Pokémon that started with M.  That didn't help.

Copycat then struck a bodybuilder's pose.

"Machamps," Duplica whispered.

Copycat smiled and tapped Duplica's nose, indicating she was right, then raised a hand high in the air.

"BIG Machamps," Duplica corrected herself, fingering a pokéball in her hand.  "Probably pumped up on steroids, too.  I can take one if you take the other."

Copycat nodded, already drawing a pokéball from her cloak.

Duplica peered around the corner, taking in the situation.

At the end of the corridor was the master security panel.  The Machamps stood on either side of it, alert and probably anxious to tear something apart.  They were much bigger than any Duplica had ever seen…and then she noticed the power belts.  Not just around their waists, but on each of their limbs as well.  No Pokémon could stand up to a physical assault from that kind of power.

But then, if her strategy worked out, they'd never touch her Pokémon.

The girls rolled their pokéballs down the corridor as one.

The Machamps looked up at once, frowning.

The pokéballs split open just as the Machamp surged forward, gray and impossibly huge.

An Espeon took shape first, knocking the fighting Pokémon back with a Psybeam.

There was a loud caw as a Dodrio emerged, leaping at the Machamp and pecking with all three of its heads.  The beaks became little more than spinning blurs as they struck mercilessly and with incredible speed.  In a matter of seconds, the Machamp were slumped against the wall, their once-proud crests bloody and broken.

Copycat looked questioningly at Duplica and pointed at the Espeon.

Duplica shrugged, grinning.  "So Shigeru inspired me.  It worked, didn't it?"

The girls started toward the control panel, but before they could reach it, Copycat stopped again, her eyes darting around suspiciously.

"What is it?" Duplica asked.  "C'mon, we gotta hurry, Cat!"

Copycat nodded, and kept watching the corridor as Duplica shut down the security.  She couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them, something powerful and evil.

Once Duplica was done, she grabbed Copycat's hand and dragged her away.

The hall was silent then, even as a coal-black figure gracefully floated out of the shadows.  It watched the girls run off, then gave the security panel a long look.  Finally, with an almost human smirk, it returned to the darkness, its feline tail waving in glee behind it.

* * * * *

It was not in Satoshi's nature to battle just to pass the time.

Shigeru, however, was of a different opinion, and wanted to demonstrate how powerful extensive training on Mt. Silver (and upgrades from the Unown, no doubt) had made his Pokémon.  He'd also pointed out that Sentry would be gone for a while, and there was nothing else to do but wait, which was boring.

He'd also implied, rather loudly, in fact, that Satoshi might be afraid to take on the REAL Shigeru.

That had done it.

Since Charizard was already out, Satoshi had gone with him.

Shigeru grinned.  "Great.  This gives me a chance to prove the power of the Unown."  He drew out a pokéball.  "Don't say I didn't warn you, old friend.  Go, Blitz!"

A huge Ursaring emerged, looking especially ill-tempered.

If Satoshi was surprised, he didn't show it.  "Fire Spin."

Charizard belched out a flame chain that quickly circled the bear.

Shigeru laughed.  "Thrash!"

Blitz instantly charged through the flames, totally ignoring the fact that much of him was on fire, and rained heavy blows on the fire dragon's chest.

Charizard staggered under the blows, then directed a Flamethrower straight into the bear's face.

Blitz stumbled back, growling in pain, but still managed to clip Charizard's head with a right paw that left the dragon reeling.

Satoshi frowned.  "Seismic Toss."

Charizard launched himself at Blitz, grabbing him around the middle and soaring high into the air.

Shigeru chuckled.  "Predictable.  You still don't get it."

Charizard came hurtling down, intent on slamming Blitz into the ground.  But the wily bear rolled in midair, executing a perfect Reversal just before they crashed into the ground, with Charizard taking all the impact.  Blitz got up at once.  Charizard didn't get up at all.

"Submission."

Satoshi would later swear that Blitz actually grinned before roughly dragging Charizard up by his wings.  The powerful bear lifted the dragon high into the air, and with a grunt, bit down savagely on his spine.

Charizard's resulting roar of pain shook the entire arena, and he struggled all the harder, but to no avail.

If someone asked him, Satoshi would say that he and Charizard had been through hell and back.  But never before had he seen his loyal friend in such torment.  For the first time in a long time, he was tempted to forfeit the match.

But Charizard's eyes met his trainer's, and he knew to do that would be an unforgivable insult.

Blitz waited, and when it became clear that Satoshi wasn't going to forfeit, bit down again.

Charizard wailed, and tears actually fell from his eyes as he continued to fight helplessly.

Shigeru frowned.  "Don't think Blitz won't bite him in half, Satoshi.  Surrender."

But Satoshi didn't hear him.  He turned away, unable to watch the scene any longer.  But nothing could make him deaf to Charizard's agony.

Ten endlessly long minutes passed, with Charizard's cries growing so weak that they were squeals.  Had Satoshi looked, he would've seen that Blitz's mouth was soaked with the dragon's blood.

Finally, Satoshi sank to his knees.  "Stop it.  Just…stop."  He couldn't bring himself to say that he gave up.  He'd destroyed Charizard's pride as it was.

Blitz looked to his trainer for confirmation, then let Charizard slide slowly to the ground.

Though the dragon no longer had the strength to stand, his eyes blazed with hatred as he looked at his trainer's back.

"I'm sorry, old friend," Satoshi whispered.

Charizard roared weakly, perhaps trying to will the flames from his throat so he could roast Satoshi alive.  But he had nothing left, and fainted.

Shigeru walked over to Satoshi.  One of the Unown broke from the living, spinning ring around his waist, and floated over to land on Charizard's forehead.  Instantly, the horrible would began to close up.

"No force can stand up to the power of the Unown," Shigeru said quietly, placing a hand on Satoshi's shoulder.  "None."

"He'll never listen to me again," Satoshi murmured.  "I'll have to release him."

"Maybe.  But he will live on.  And if it's a new dragon you'll be needing…"  

Shigeru placed a tan egg with black spots in front of him.

"What is this?" Satoshi asked.

"A gift to say I'm sorry for leaving.  Well, without telling you, anyway.  Leaving was the best thing I ever did."

* * * * *   

Sentry didn't bother to knock when he reached Giovanni's office.  He merely tore the door off its hinges with a wave of his paw.

Giovanni looked up from his paperwork, but didn't appear to be worried.  "Yes?"

"I.  Quit."

"Fine," Giovanni said, looking back at his papers.

Sentry growled and tore the desk in half.

Giovanni looked up.  "You may go," he said angrily.

_"Thanks, but not just yet."_  Sentry walked right up to him.  _"I haven't killed you yet."_

"And why would you want to do that?"

"You killed my father.  Among other reasons.  Like being a cold, calculating, basta-" 

"Crunch," said Giovanni calmly.

Sentry barely realized that sound of flesh tearing was the sound of his own flesh tearing until it was far too late.  With a strangled cry, he fell to the floor, never to rise again.

Giovanni smiled and stroked his pet.  "Good kitty."

In his lap, the black cat purred happily and leaned into his fingers, its jaws dripping with blood.

* * * * *

The girl sat up with a gasp.

Leon looked up in alarm.  _"Uh oh."_

She stared at him for a moment, and then at the unconscious Espeon beside him.

"It's not what it looks like.  Really.  Um…she was like that when I got here?" 

She frowned.

"Honest.  When this mess is all over, we're gonna have an egg, I swear to-" 

_"Alright, Mistress?"_ asked a voice beside her.

She turned to see her favorite Pokémon staring up at her hopefully.  "Togepi?!" she cried in shock.

The Togetic gave her a puzzled look, and then his confusion faded.  _"Ma…Mama?"_ he asked in a childish squeal.

Leon winced.

The girl wrapped Togetic in a big hug, tears rolling down her face.  "I've missed you so much, Togepi…but you're a big boy now, aren't you?"

"I think I'm going to hurl," Leon said in disgust.

_"Then aim somewhere else, would you?"_ Cleo murmured as she slowly opened her eyes.

_"Cleo?!"_  In his excitement, Leon leaned down and licked her nose.

_"It's…nice to see you, too," _Cleo admitted, her cheeks burning.

"Uh…right, sure.  Listen, I'm glad you're up.  Red here is probably gonna be unstable, so you'd better make with the psychic crap and-"

"Misty is fine."

"What?  No, her name's Kasumi."

Cleo smiled.  _"Not anymore, it's not.  I don't know how he did it, but Trainer Gary's restored her.  I can sense her thoughts are definitely her own now.  Before, her mind was murky, hard to read.  Now it's bright and clear.  The darkness is lifting."_

_"No kidding,"_ Leon whispered, his eyes widening.

Cleo followed his gaze to the window, where something huge and solid black was lifting slowly and majestically into the air.

Misty gasped.  "Lugia…he's escaped!"

_"That is one big, pissed-off seahawk."_  Leon frowned.  _"Dammit.  He's got Gary."_

"WHAT?!" Misty and Cleo cried together.

"Oh, come on, I KNOW you heard me the first time…" 

* * * * *

"How come we haven't found it yet?" Mary whined.

"I don't know," Mikey admitted.  "I figured a big cave would be hard to miss…"

"The Rocket League has a tendency to hide things it doesn't want found, kids," Nurse Joy said.  "I wouldn't put it beyond them to hide Dragon's Den.  But I don't see why we should head there."

"Because THAT'S where the dragons are," Mary said at once.

Mikey nodded.  "And if we catch one, we stand a better chance of not getting beaten in a battle."

"Even if we did get a Dratini-"

"Dragonair," Mary corrected.

"EVEN if we got one, it would still need tons of experience to stand a chance around here," Joy said.

Mikey just looked at her.  "What do you think dragons do all day?  Twiddle their thumbs?"

"Don't have any," Mary added.  "Don't twiddle their tails, either.  Mostly they fight.  The older ones, anyway."

"Well, any dragon's better than none," Mikey muttered.  "And since I don't think Blissey and Chansey are gonna fight, we'd better get more than one."

Nurse Joy turned bright red, but kept quiet.

Roughly three minutes later, something flew over their heads.  

"DRAGON!" Mary positively shouted.  "GET IT!"

Mikey's Delibird aimed an Ice Beam in the direction of the passing Pokémon.  There was a very loud, decidedly un-dragonlike squawk of rage, followed by a crash and a string of vivid curses.  Mary covered her ears at once, but Mikey grinned.

A few moments later, something came crashing through the brush, sounding like a mad Rhydon.

"DRAGON!" Mikey and Mary yelled happily, leaping at the emerging figure.

There was a brief scuffle, in which more curses sprang up and Delibird lost several of its tail feathers.

"Stop!  Kids, stop!" Joy cried, finally recognizing the cursing, strangely enough.  "For heaven's sake, it's not a dragon, it's CASEY!!!"  
  


The fight stopped at once.  Mary had her teeth in an ankle, and Mikey had wrapped himself around Casey's neck in an attempt to wrestle her to the ground.  

"Aw, it IS just Casey," Mikey moaned, earning a slap that quickly dislodged him.

"I tried to tell you MANIACS that when I first flew over!" Casey shouted.  "But SOME idiot shot down my Terry!"

At her side, an Aerodactyl with a frosted rear end stared angrily at Delibird, munching some tail feathers in what it hoped was a rather suggestive manner.

"You're NOT supposed to be here, young lady," Joy snapped.

"Yeah, well, Ash wasn't supposed to go bad, and look where THAT'S gotten us."  Casey frowned.  "Have you seen him?"

"Nope," Mary replied.  "No dragons, either."  Then she noticed Aerodactyl.  "DRAG-!!!"

"NO," said Casey.  "Well, yeah, he kinda is, but he's not wild; he's mine.  So back off."

"Aww!"

Suddenly, a roar of pain floated through the night sky.

"Dragon?" Mary asked quietly, looking worried.

"Not for much longer, it won't be," Casey muttered sadly, tears in her eyes.  "C'mon, guys…"

Joy followed in silence.  She'd recognized the roar, too, and murmured a prayer for Ash Ketchum's Charizard, hoping the pain didn't last too long.

* * * * *

With security disabled, it had been fairly easy for Jenny's squad to round up most of the Rocket League personnel.  Most of them were either too confused or too afraid to put up much of a fight, but no one was willing to say just why that was.

Once Duplica & Copycat rejoined the group, the question of what to do next came up.

"We know there's still some personnel missing," Chigusa said.  "Sylvie said she and Morty would handle the Elite, but I'm not so sure even they could take Lance & Clair.  And there's still the boss himself."

"And he's never been a pushover," Jessie added, her eyes narrowed.

"I think we should call Brock," Duplica suggested.  "Make sure they haven't sent someone out there to finish off Sabrina."

Jenny nodded.  "Chigusa, you get Brock on the line.  Jessie, James, and I will see if we can find Giovanni.  The rest of you stay here and look after the prisoners."

Duplica watched leave with a frown.  "I don't like this, Cat.  It's been too easy so far."

Copycat grabbed her arm and pointed anxiously at a nearby window.

"What?  What do you see?  There's no…oh no."

Before Chigusa could look back to ask what was wrong, there was a loud shattering of glass.  When she finally did look, the window was no more, and both girls were gone.

* * * * *

Gary tightened his grip on the thick, black appendages that rose from Lugia's back, convinced that he'd never ridden anything that traveled so fast.  But then, Lugia wasn't its name anymore, and it hadn't really provided him with a new one just yet.

"Dark Lugia would be most appropriate," said the bird, reading his thoughts in a heartbeat.

"I still don't get it.  If you hate man so much, why didn't you kill me?"

"I would still be trapped if not for you.  The lock on my holding cell has a specific genetic imprint inside it.  Only those of Giovanni's bloodline can open it without serious bodily harm."

Gary froze.  "What?  What did you say?"

But Dark Lugia didn't speak again until they were clear of the north island that contained Lab 2.  "There," he rumbled ominously, nodding towards the western island.  "That's where we're going."

"What's there?" Gary asked, spotting the arena in the distance.

"Destiny, and the end," the legendary replied before lifting his head and letting out a bloodcurdling song of war.

Gary shuddered, feeling each note vibrating beneath him, and paused when he heard three distinctive roars, all of them originating from the arena.  In his lap, Sally shifted her weight and released a sweet-smelling fragrance that calmed Gary immensely.

Dark Lugia swooped down over the arena, his yellow eyes quickly taking in the scene.  Then he let out another long cry of battle.

The pokéball around Satoshi's neck shuddered violently, then burst open as Zapdos soared into the air, screeching his greeting to the other legendary bird.  They landed as one, and Gary quickly leaped to the ground, turning to catch Sally as she slid into his arms.

Satoshi had been kneeling next to Entei, even after Zapdos's outburst, but now he stood.

Gary stared at him for a long moment, trying to think up a reasonable excuse.  He was understandably distracted when he spotted the three legendary beasts together again, but he needn't have bothered.

"Well," said a familiar voice.  "We're all together, almost.  I imagine Kasumi—or Misty—is on her way."

Gary turned…and came face to face with himself.  He clutched Sally to his chest tightly.

Shigeru grinned at him.  "Hey, bro," he said cordially.  "Welcome to the party."

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 11: Facing the Unown

Shigeru speaks about why he left.  Misty arrives with help.  Giovanni's pet attacks…again.  Plus, the moment we've all been waiting for: Gary vs. Shigeru!


	11. Facing the Unown

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Shigeru's Pokémon battle with Unown boosts.  Sorry if I forget to mention them, but I have actually experimented and found which Unown have which Hidden Powers.  Don't worry, I plan to list the ENTIRE cast when this is over…  ^_^

And I apologize if everything in the summary from last time doesn't show up here.  The battles tend to take up more and more room, but rest assured unless there's a major plot change between the time I think it and the time I write it, everything will eventually happen.

Chapter 11: Facing the Unown 

The very air was thick with tension.

Ironically, Shigeru didn't seem to sense that, and had not stopped smiling since Gary's arrival.

Gary had limited his motion to sitting and patting Sally's head.  

Satoshi continued to stare at him, a mixture of anger and confusion in his eyes.  He was obviously upset that he'd been tricked, but unsure of just what he should do about that.

Shigeru cleared his throat.  "Well, my friends here," he said, gesturing to the ring of Unown around his waist, "say Misty could be a while, and they're getting antsy."

Gary stared blankly at him.

"So they'd like not to be bored any longer.  They love to be useful, y'know.  So, let's battle!"

Gary glanced at Satoshi, who still hadn't moved.  "Who, me?" he asked at last.  "Why?"

Shigeru shrugged.  "If you really need a reason, we can make it interesting.  Since you're obviously not from around here, let's both put something on the line.  Something that would be hard to come by."

"Like what?" Gary asked warily.

"Hmm…if you win, you get the Unown.  Limitless power at your beck and call, and all you have to do is beat me."

"And what if you win?"

Shigeru smiled.  "If I win, I get…oh…to go to your world."

"WHAT?!" Gary cried.

"Hey, what can I say?  I'm an explorer.  I've been all over, but to another world…that's a real trip."  He grinned.  "Do we have a deal?"

Gary frowned.  It was a huge risk, obviously.  Taking Shigeru to his world would be…well, it was bound to be bad, if Professor Oak was so worried about the worlds crashing into each other.  Better to leave everything and everyone from this world right here.  "No.  It's too risky.  I can't take you to my world."

Shigeru chuckled. "You misunderstand, bro.  I don't want to go WITH you.  I want to go INSTEAD of you.  In your place.  Meaning you would stay here."

Gary stared at him.  "You're nuts."

"Maybe.  But I know what I want.  And so do the Unown.  And even if you don't accept, with their power, how long do you think it would take for me to find a way into your world, anyway?"  Shigeru smirked.  "I'll even make it more interesting for you.  You win, you get the Unown, all my Pokémon, and…Lugia."

Gary's face lost some of its color, and he turned to look at the legendary bird.  "But…he's not yours."

"That's not what this says," Shigeru replied, holding up a blue and white pokéball.  "Lugia, return." 

Amazingly, Dark Lugia bowed his head in submission, and vanished into the pokéball.

Satoshi's eyes widened slightly.

"Do we have a deal?" Shigeru asked again, shining the pokéball on his cloak.

Gary was still hesitant.  "And you're willing to give up all that…just to go to my world?"

"Weeeell…since I did up the stakes, it's only fair that you do the same…"

Gary narrowed his eyes.  "How much?"

"I'm putting up infinite power, some of the best trained Pokémon in existence, and THE Legendary Lugia.  I'd say the least you could offer me was….hmm…the trip, your Celebi, and…your memories."

Gary didn't think to ask how Shigeru knew of Sally's species.  He was in too much shock for that.  "You ARE crazy.  I'm not giving you my memories!"

"Hate to break it to you, bro," Shigeru said softly, "but I wasn't really giving you a choice.  Better just accept my terms and stand a chance of winning, than to have me take what I want.  Because I can do that and save us all a bunch of time."

Gary gulped and glanced at Satoshi.  He didn't appear to have been affected by anything Shigeru had just said.  Chances were, he wasn't going to interfere on anyone's behalf, much less Gary's.

"So.  Do we have a deal, bro?" Shigeru asked again.

Gary felt something brush his leg.  He looked down to see Sally's vines tugging Eve's pokéball from his belt.  Her large, blue eyes met his gaze, and she nodded, pushing the pokéball into his hands.  Gary swallowed noisily and bit his lip.  Sally had never steered him wrong before, but…this was way too risky.  If he lost, he'd be trapped in this world.  Shigeru would have the Unown, Lugia, and Sally.  With that kind of power at his fingertips, he'd be unstoppable.  And with Gary's memories, no one would ever suspect that he wasn't who he said he was.

The choice was suddenly made for him as Eve burst from her pokéball.

Shigeru grinned and drew out his own pokéball.  "Glad you're seeing things my way.  Go, Streak!"

Whatever the Pokémon was, it had been aptly named.  Once the pokéball split open, only a red blur was visible.

Gary frowned.  "I knew I'd regret this."

_"It doesn't matter, Gary,"_ Eve replied, glancing fondly at him over her shoulder.  _"I'll always fight for you."_  She squealed as her body took on a fiery red glow, and then darted forward.

* * * * *

Brock had always assumed that Sabrina's amazing psychic powers were a product of her mind.  Therefore, without her mind, so to speak, she should've been unable to access them.

Clearly, this was no longer the case.

Or perhaps it was.

Brock knew for certain that Sabrina's mind had been transferred to Sylvie's body.  That had left her own body brain-dead in every sense of the word.  No vital signs, no heartbeat, no breathing.  Just…dead.

For a matter of hours, anyway.

And then, without warning, the body HAD come to life…but it resembled a robot or a zombie more than anything else.  There was a blank look in the eyes, and the face was equally blank.  The movements were stiff and uncoordinated.  Brock hadn't even been able to sense Sabrina's distinctive aura.  It was as if someone had activated a remote from afar.

He had not tried to stop Sabrina's body, for fear of disrupting some psychic link that only Sabrina & Sylvie were aware of.  Instead, he'd merely followed it, which, in itself, proved to be totally unnecessary.  The few times when Brock did let the body out of his sight, he felt a strong, insistent tug.  Finally, the tugs had gotten so strong that they lifted him, as well as Sabrina's body, high into the air.

In this manner, they'd reached airspace that Brock was all too familiar with.  He would never forget the way Indigo Islands looked from above.  For no reason that he could figure out, though, they were being tugged towards the arena.  

Unknown to Brock, there was a pokéball on Sabrina's belt glowing faintly the entire trip.

* * * * *

"You're sure Gary & Ash are in the same place, Cleo?" Misty asked uncertainly.

Cleo nodded from her seat in the former Gym Leader's lap.  _"Yes, Misty.  But you must remember, he won't be Ash unless you can break through Lugia's psychic conditioning and reach the real Ash."_

"Right," Misty sighed.  "That shouldn't be hard at all."

_"Why is it WE always get the impossible jobs?"_ Leon complained.  _"This is why people catch Dratinis and Larvitars!"_

"Is he always like this?"

Cleo sighed.  _"Almost, unfortunately.  But he does have his good points.  For example, he's more skilled at detecting higher level psychics than I am.  Because psychics are usually trained to be strong against other psychics, they're especially weak against dark types."_

_"Excluding Lugia,"_ Leon cut in.  _"Whom we'll almost certainly run into if we keep this up.  You girls DO remember who Lugia is, don't you?"_

"If it wasn't for me and my Pokémon, the Rocket League wouldn't even have him in the first place."  Misty bit her lip.  "This is all my fault.  I have to stop him before it's too late."

_"Couldn't you have done the hero bit BEFORE he got loose?!"_

Misty ignored him.  "Faster, Gyarados.  There's no time to waste."

The Gyarados beneath them rumbled and increased its speed, streaking through the water like a bullet.  

* * * * *

Giovanni watched the battle with great interest.  Like Ash, once he'd seen Shigeru with his own eyes—the real one—he had known.  It was more than just memory, deeper than a feeling or instinct.  His father had been a ruthless, proud man, one that had gone to great lengths to fortify his bloodline.  Perhaps it was that hunger for greatness, that thirst for immortality that made Giovanni recognize the true Shigeru.  Or maybe it was something even beyond that—something as simple as how any good father knew his son.

Giovanni had been called a good father, but only once, and only concerning Satoshi.  Despite that, he took pride in knowing that Shigeru had made something of himself.  

Satoshi was the son that had grown under his father's wing.

Shigeru was the son that had left the nest before he was intended to.

And Gary…Gary, as far as Giovanni was concerned, no longer existed.  Clearly, though, someone had set out to prove him wrong.

That was something he could not tolerate.

Then there was Lugia…or whatever it was the experiment had turned him into.  His escape had not been foreseen, and had the other legendaries not been present in the arena, Giovanni might've been worried.  But he had not achieved his goals so far by being ill prepared.  For every trump card, there was a backup plan.

On the screen, Gary's Eevee belched out fireballs bigger around than she was.  Yet each one that connected (and those were few, the target was extremely fast) with Shigeru's Scizor had almost no effect.

"Impressive," Giovanni muttered, before turning to his pet.  "I think it's time we paid our friends a visit.  Why don't you go out and play with them, Kitty?"

What had once been Giovanni's faithful Persian, and was now something much more, purred in anticipation as it leaped lightly from his lap and sprang out of the room.

* * * * *

Since he'd give her the EvoRing, Gary could count the times Eve had been outclassed on one hand and still have fingers leftover.  But this was definitely starting to look like one of those times.  The truly frightening thing was that Streak had yet to actually lay a claw on her.  His speed alone spoke volumes, and Gary could only imagine how strong he really was.

Shigeru watched the match with little more than a small smirk.  It was painfully clear that his faith in his Pokémon was unquestionable.  But then, seeing as how each of them had been boosted by the Unown, he had every right to believe in them.

But as the match continued, Gary became less worried about what Streak might do to Eve, and more worried about what the EvoRing might do when it backfired.  The reason it hadn't been licensed for public use was that under prolonged exposure to any one stone, the Pokémon could go into shock, suffer heart problems, or even transform permanently.  As an Eevee, Eve's body was especially susceptible to transformation.  Even as Gary watched, her neck ruff had become more pronounced and almost orange in color, while the rest of her coat was the color of blood.  If Eve did manage to become a Flareon, there was a good chance she would not survive to test her newfound strength.

Finally, the stress became too much, and Eve froze in her tracks, gasping for air that was not there.

Shigeru grinned.  "Streak!  Show them your power!  Extremespeed!"

The ground literally exploded under the Scizor's feet as he charged forward…and simply vanished.

Eve suddenly squealed in pain and dropped to the ground in a quivering heap, her fur stained with blood in various spots.

"EVE!" Gary screamed, and he would've run to her, if not for Sally's vines tightening around his legs.

Streak reappeared high above Eve, and went into a nosedive to strike the final blow.

"PSYCHIC!!!" two voices shouted at once.

Gary's eyes widened as twin Espeon leaped over his shoulders, their massive psychic waves overlapping to form what should've been a devastating attack on any Pokémon that was part bug.

Streak looked up as waves homed in on him, but instead of trying to dodge, he merely began to spin, twisting into the fastest version of Swords Dance anyone had ever witnessed.

The psychic waves slammed into Streak…and then bounced off, turning back on their initiators.

Gary was yanked aside by four pairs of hands as the waves missed him by inches and crashed into the arena seats, carving out a huge hole before continuing to fly out of sight.

_"Are you hurt, Trainer Gary?"_ Cleo asked, concern in her tone as she pressed her front paws to his chest.

Gary blinked and stroked her back.  "Just fine.  Where'd you come from?"

_"Don't you know?  We're the cavalry," _Leon replied, nodding to Misty.  _"Dunno who they are, though..."_

Gary turned to see Duplica and a girl who looked almost exactly like her crouched beside the Espeon, who gradually turned back into a Ditto.  "This is getting TOO weird."

"Just be glad we're on your side," Duplica replied.  

"He's attacking!" Misty cried.

Streak had almost reached Eve now, and raised a solitary claw to strike.

Suddenly, a jagged bolt of yellow light tore through the air and struck Streak dead on the head.  More precisely, it hit the pulsing Unown N on his forehead.  A tiny scream was heard in the following explosion.

When the dust settled, Streak was revealed unconscious, and more importantly, Unown-less.

Pikachu stood crouched over Eve, the red electric sacks on his cheeks still cracking with power.  Smoke drifted off his singed fur, and there was a new fire in his eyes that had never been there before.

"What was THAT?" Duplica asked.

"Lightning Dash," Satoshi said, suddenly in front of her.  "We never had a chance to use it, until now."

Shigeru scowled.  "Hey!  This is between me, myself, and I!"

"It was, until you tried to kill the opposing Pokémon," Satoshi corrected, glaring at Shigeru coldly.

"It is my fault her trainer doesn't know when to quit?"

"You're the one that doesn't know when to quit!" Misty shouted angrily.  "You were never like this before, Shigeru!"

"You're one to talk, Red," Shigeru laughed.

"Don't call her that," Satoshi snapped.

Misty blinked, as if noticing him for the first time.  "Ash…"

He whirled on her.  "What did you-?!"

"Ash," she said again, coming closer.  "I called you Ash.  That's your name.  That's the name of the boy my heart always belonged to…even when I was with someone else."

Satoshi's face twisted in confusion, anger, and then confusion again.  "Kasumi…you…"

"No," she said softly, pressing a finger to his lips.  "You love me.  Misty.  Remember?"

"Misty…?  But…you're not…"

Shigeru rolled his eyes and drew his next pokéball.  "Hey, bro!  Both of you!  Clear the field so we can get this over with!"

Gary was already cradling Eve in his arms.  "Can you hear me, girl?  C'mon, say something, please?"

Eve coughed quietly.  _"…sorry…"_

Gary smiled and gently stroked her head.  "Don't be sorry, girl.  I'm just glad you're alive.  You were incredible out there."  He looked at Pikachu, who was eyeing him warily.  "Thanks, Pikachu."

"Chu."  Pikachu returned to his trainer's side, which, fittingly enough, put him right beside Raikou.

Gary carefully carried Eve over to Duplica.  "Look after her for me?"

Before Duplica could answer, Copycat came forward and took Eve, handling the wounded Pokémon as gently as a mother might her child.

Gary blinked.  "Thanks…um…whoever you are."

"Her name's Copycat," Duplica explained.  "But you've got a battle to finish.  We'll take care of Eve."

* * * * *

Though Dragon's Den was not as dark as it usually would've been, Nurse Joy still hated having to travel through it.  Despite the fact that she loved and respected all Pokémon, she had learned that many of them seemed to prefer undesirable living conditions.  Undesirable to civilized humans, anyway.  

Not that there was anything particularly undesirable about Dragon's Den.  But sometimes, like right then, anyone would hate to be in a dark place.

The light of Mary's Mareep did help quite a bit, but Joy's feeling of unease remained.

Mikey & Mary were still very excited and hopeful over the possibility of stumbling upon a wild dragon.  

Casey, on the other hand, was frustrated and angry.  Frustrated because she had yet to lay eyes on Satoshi (or Ash, as she insisted on calling him), and angry because the group had decided to continue through Dragon's Den, rather than head elsewhere.  Casey knew that Satoshi would be where the action was, and so they definitely would not be running into him (or anything even remotely interesting) anytime soon, save for perhaps a dragon, which she thought was next to impossible.

All of a sudden, Mary's Mareep bleated in fear and hid behind its trainer.

"What's wrong, girl?" Mary asked, kneeling to pet the sheep's head.

Finally glad to be of some use, Casey released her Electabuzz, certain that it would at least be braver and more helpful than a Mareep.

To the Pokémon's credit, Electabuzz took three steps before figuring out what had spooked its fellow electric type.  And while it didn't turn tail and run, it did freeze in its tracks, and with good reason.  The range of Electabuzz's glow was far greater than Mareep's, and its three steps soon revealed the obstruction to their path.

A few feet ahead was a wall of solid, splotchy stone.  There was clearly no way around or through it.

"They're scared of a wall?" Mikey asked after a long moment.

"Maybe there's something behind it they don't like?" Mary guessed.

Casey found herself wishing she had a Girafarig.

Nurse Joy's eyes widened.  "Kids," she said softly.  "Let's turn around.  Now."

"What?  But we-" Mikey began to protest, until the woman's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Now," Joy repeated firmly.

Casey turned to her.  "What do you see?  What aren't we seeing?"

Mary gasped.  "Is it a DRAGON'S nest?!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the wall exploded into life.  Something huge was barely visible beyond the many rocks that crashed to the ground, tossing up dust, but the Pokémon saw it, and desperately tried to push their trainers back the way they'd come.

It soon became clear, however, that whatever had caused the explosion was following at a very rapid pace, and that there was no chance they'd outrun it.  The very earth thundered under their feet as whatever it was began to catch up.

Joy stopped running suddenly, turned, and spread her arms.

"Nurse Joy, what are you DOING?!" Mary cried.  "That thing's gonna squish us!"

"Maybe not," Casey murmured, touching the smaller girl's shoulder.  "Just trust her, Mary."

The ground shook harder as the huge, shadowy shape came near, and only inches away from Joy, it came to an unexpected stop.

Mikey & Mary blinked in disbelief as the creature bent down and sniffed loudly at Joy's hair, then grunted, turned slowly, and lumbered deeper into the cave.

Casey fumbled for her Pokédex and pointed it at the creature just before it vanished behind a column of rock.

"Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon," reported the Pokédex.

"How'd you know it would stop?" Casey asked.

Nurse Joy slowly turned around, her face pale.  "I didn't, really.  I just took the chance that it would."

"WHAT?!  You mean it could've--?!"

"Yes…if it were wild, we'd all be dust right now."

"So…what are you saying?"

Joy smiled and brushed the dust from her cloak.  "Fortunately for us, trainers aren't the only ones who recognize me and my family."  

"Then…THAT thing's been to a Pokémon Center before?" Mikey asked.

"Which means it has a trainer," Casey continued.  "Still, that WAS a big risk, Nurse Joy."

"Just be glad that it paid off, Casey.  Now, let's get out of here."

"No," said Casey.  "You guys can go.  I'm following The Hulk.  I bet he knows where the action is!"

"Casey, that's crazy!  It wouldn't attack me, but it probably doesn't even know you!  No one ever knew Ash to keep a Larvitar!"

"Well, it didn't go crazy until Mary started shouting the d-word, and I'm betting it was trained to do that.  And since YOU guys won't be with me, it won't HEAR the d-word, will it?"  With that, Casey and Electabuzz ran off in the direction of the quickly fading (but still very loud) footfalls.

Nurse Joy sighed and shook her head.  "We can't just leave her.  But NO MORE shouting about you-know-whats, okay?"

"Forgot THEM," Mikey said, now staring at an image of a Tyranitar in his own Pokédex.  "I want one of THESE!"

* * * * *

"Swift!" Gary & Shigeru shouted as one.

Cleo and Skarmory unleashed their attacks, and for a moment, they were even.  Then Cleo was overwhelmed, and leaped back, only to be struck by a glancing blow as the steel bird dive-bombed her.  

Gary held in a growl as an ugly red gash opened up on Cleo's left front leg.  He had been in tough battles before, but never one that was so potentially fatal for his Pokémon.  More than that, all of them weren't truly his: they were Frieda's.  But at this rate, he wouldn't have to worry about facing her again.  Ever.

Shigeru, on the other hand, was enjoying himself immensely.  As far as he was concerned, the first battle had only been a draw because of Pikachu.  He knew, however, that none of Gary's Pokémon stood a chance…unless, of course, he decided to put the Celebi in.

Skarmory soared high into the air, already shrieking in victory.

Shigeru nodded.  "Got that right, pal.  Time to end this.  Electric Peck!"

The Unown M on Skarmory's head pulsed as electricity danced across its body.

Gary shook his head.  "There's…just no way…"

"Don't you get it yet, bro?" Shigeru asked.  "Nothing is impossible for the Unown.  As you're about to see.  Again."

Skarmory dove again, all the electricity racing to its beak.

Gary wracked his brain, and finally shouted, "Hidden Power!"

Cleo froze, almost as if picking up on Gary's hesitation, and then let loose with a huge Fire Blast.

For a moment, it looked as if the battle was won.  

Then Skarmory tore through the flames and crashed into Cleo, driving them both into the ground hard.  But while Skarmory stood up a moment later, Cleo remained still, her expression frozen in pain.  There was a long cut that stretched along her side where Skarmory's charged beak had connected.

Before Gary could retrieve Cleo, Copycat was already scooping her up gently.

Cleo's eyes met his.  _"I…I failed you, Trainer Gary…"_

"You did no such thing.  You did your best, and that's all I ask for."  He smiled and scratched behind her ears.  "I know Frieda would be proud of you, just like I am."

Touched by the remark, Cleo slowly lifted her head from Copycat's arm and gently licked Gary's cheek before fainting.

Gary kissed her forehead before turning to Leon.  "You ready, Leon?"

The Umbreon snorted.  _"I was hatched ready.  But since I don't see any nurse caps on those two, anything happens to Pretty Cleo, I'm holding you responsible."_

"So am I," Gary replied, glancing at Duplica & Copycat.  Duplica was cradling Eve in her arms, and already he could see signs of improvement in his favorite Pokémon.  "I just feel like I can trust them."

Shigeru laughed suddenly.  "Umbreon, huh?  Well, I could send out my Houndoom and see which dark is darker…but suddenly, I'm in the mood to embarrass you."  He whistled sharply, and a tiny Natu instantly appeared on his shoulder.

_"Oh, that's just LOW,"_ Leon growled.  _"Now I HAVE to destroy it."_

"Be careful," Gary warned, spotting the Unown Y on the little bird's head.

_"Careful?!  Are you CRAZY?  I'm gonna WIN!  There's no way that little guy can hurt me!"_

The words were barely out of his mouth when the Natu vanished from Shigeru's shoulder, reappeared in midair above Leon's head, and knocked him ten feet away with a shockingly strong roundhouse kick to the face.

Gary's eyes doubled in size, and even Sally looked surprised…but there was a pleasant smile on her face, as if she was rooting for the underdog.  And maybe she was, considering how many trainers considered psychics to be physically weak.

Shigeru grinned like mad.  "I call him Chick Lee."

* * * * *

Brock grunted as he was set down somewhat unsteadily outside the arena.  He immediately brought out his loyal Ninetails to guide him.

Sabrina's body hovered nearby, still with her eyes closed and still with a vacant expression.

"Glad you two could make it, Brock."

He whirled and put a hand to his heart upon realizing it was only Morty.  "I didn't really have much of a choice.  She's a forceful one, even without her mind."

"Desperate times and all," Morty replied with a shrug.

"Wait…wasn't Sylvie with you?" Brock asked, a feeling of dread rising in his gut.

"I'm right here," the girl replied, even as she appeared between Brock & Sabrina.  She stared up at the lifeless body.  "Time to reboot."

Before Brock could ask, Sylvie raised her arms, as if asking to be picked up, and Sabrina bent to lift her.

"How long is this going to take?" Morty asked, glancing uncertainly at the arena.  "We don't want to be vulnerable, in case something-"

Sylvie cut him off with her smile.  "Don't worry, Morty.  Mr. Mist will keep us safe."

Instantly, the Misdreavus appeared above the two girls, its form warping and stretching until it had fashioned a makeshift cocoon around them.  There were still two beady, red eyes staring at the two trainers.

"Well, no sense in missing everything," Brock reasoned.  

"My thoughts exactly," Morty replied, stepping into the arena.  Brock & Ninetails followed him in, and the gray cocoon brought up the rear.

* * * * *

Continued in Chapter 12: The Dark Dragon

When Shigeru calls his out his most fearsome (and undefeated) Pokémon, Gary is ready to surrender…until a Legendary steps in.  But as the battle begins, Satoshi starts to remember his past.  Could it have something to do with a certain cocoon?


	12. The Dark Dragon

Chapter 12: The Dark Dragon 

"You know what the worst thing about that was?" Shigeru asked as his Natu moonwalked across Leon's back. "That Unown's Hidden Power is actually dark. Which means my little buddy here just kicked your Umbreon's butt on nothing but natural talent."

"You done yet?!" Gary snapped.

"Nope!" Shigeru replied cheerfully. "Looks like you almost are, though. You can still quit…and you might wanna, before I call out my next Pokémon."

That made Gary pause. He glanced over to where Copycat was placing Leon in the arms of her motherly Kangaskhan, even as her Clefairy & Miltank continued to heal his other Pokémon with Heal Bell. Something about the way Cleo was still unconscious made him feel even guiltier. These were Frieda's best Pokémon, and though she had given them to him with the knowledge that they might not come back, she did it expecting Gary to care for them as she would. He had failed her in that respect, and she would never even know it. Gary wondered briefly if it was better that way.

"I can see you're still stunned over that last loss," Shigeru chuckled as Chick Lee landed on his shoulder. "But your Pokémon put up such a good fight, and because I'm a sporting guy, I'll give you another chance. The slate's wiped clean. We'll make this next battle all or nothing. You win, you win it all."

The fact that Shigeru seemed so confident of his victory to make a bet like that was not at all reassuring. But Gary could not afford to refuse at this point. This was his last chance to go home. He could only hope Marie's confidence hadn't been shaken by her battle with Satoshi's Gengar.

"To give you a better idea of what you're up against, bro…I'll show you EXACTLY what you're up against." Shigeru cupped his hands to his mouth and made a sound remarkably similar to a Dratini's cry.

Gary wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. But one second Shigeru was standing on the arena floor, and the next, he was standing atop what seemed to be ten feet of solid dirt and stone. But as the debris fell away, a huge Tyranitar was revealed beneath Shigeru's feet.

"My pride and joy," Shigeru said, squatting to pat the monstrous Pokémon's heavily plated head. "The perfect Pokémon partner. Nothing can take him down. Anything that could break through his defenses doesn't last too long. And I really hope you're not thinking of challenging him with a…dragon."

The Tyranitar let out an earthshaking roar and snapped viciously at the air.

"He REALLY doesn't like them," Shigeru added with a smile. "But it's one heck of a character flaw, you gotta give him that much. He made pretty quick work of those two so-called dragon masters. I never did like them too much."

Satoshi started at that. "What did you do to Lance and Clair?!" he demanded.

Shigeru shrugged. "Same thing I do with every other trainer I see as a challenge. I haven't changed that much, old friend."

"They're in the infirmary," Misty said softly, glaring at Shigeru. "In critical condition. I saw them on my way here. They looked like they'd been in a war, not a Pokémon battle."

Shigeru shook his head. "Listen, Red. When you train an attack dog, you don't just train it to go after a human. You train it to go after the very scent of humans. It's not my fault Clair was dumb enough to cuddle with her pets. Must've had the stench all over her. My pal here couldn't even tell the difference. But then, I always did say she was dragon-faced."

"You're a bigger monster than your Pokémon," Misty spat.

"That's pretty big," Shigeru reasoned with a grin. "But you obviously don't know T-Wreckz well enough yet. Trust me, he's got me beat in the monster department." He turned to face Gary. "So how 'bout it, bro? You feeling up to one last challenge?

Gary bit his lip. The little information Professor Elm had supplied on Larvitar was sketchy at best, and if his hunch was right, Marie wouldn't stand a chance against a fully evolved Tyranitar. And knowing himself the way he did, it had to be at a tremendously high level. There was always Nidoking. Even though Tyranitar would easily dwarf him, he was the closest in size, and probably the most durable Pokémon Gary had at the moment.

He paused and glanced at Sally, but instantly erased that thought from his head. She had chosen to join him, but not to fight for him. He couldn't and wouldn't force her to…not while there were other options. All the same, he would only be delaying the inevitable. After Nidoking went down, he would lose everything.

Gary had tasted failure before, but never had the realization that he was going to lose meant so much. But then, he'd never battled for such high stakes. Closing his eyes, he unclipped Nidoking's pokéball, enlarged it, and held it out in front of him.

There was a sudden gust of wind, followed by a low growl in his ear.

Gary opened his eyes…and gasped. Less than an inch from his arm, Entei stood proudly by his side, glaring across the arena at Shigeru's Tyranitar.

Satoshi leaped to his feet, his eyes wide.

Misty looked over at him. "Ash? What is it?"

"I…I remember this," he whispered. "Another battle…another Legendary Pokémon…but I remember this. I KNOW I do…"

The thing that Shigeru hated most about exhibition matches was that everyone took them too seriously.

Every year, in the tradition of the former Pokémon League, the Rocket League hosted a huge festival at which trainers could see the best of the best in action.

It was no surprise that trainers began to demand matches featuring the Legendary Bird Trio. There had been rumors long enough, and they wanted to know if the Rocket League really did have possession of the birds, or if it was all just talk.

Giovanni saw it as an excellent chance to display the Rocket League's power…and to silence all the naysayers, as there were plenty. He personally drew up the plans to upgrade the arena to contain the power of the birds. Ironically, most of that involved making it a huge, open-air arena, simply because the mighty birds could not be contained in the heat of battle. They were born to be free and battled that way, even when under the direction of the Rocket League's top three Elite trainers.

Kasumi had been the first to officially gain any sort of control over her legendary bird, and once Satoshi succeeded as well, Giovanni booked the battle.

It left Shigeru in a very awkward position. He was expected to go out in front of millions and battle with a legendary bird that acknowledged him as a Pokémon Master…but not as its trainer. Fittingly, Moltres had been the most hotheaded and difficult of all the birds. Giovanni had assigned Moltres to Shigeru, not only because Electric & Water were Satoshi & Kasumi's specialties, but also because he thought Moltres needed a trainer that was just as volatile as it was.

And this was no ordinary battle. Giovanni wanted the three birds to clash in nothing short of all-out chaos…but in a sporting way. In other words, he wanted a good show, but he wanted survivors at the same time. None of the participants were exactly replaceable.

Satoshi hadn't liked it, of course. But he'd gone along with it. Kasumi didn't like the idea of Articuno fighting anything other than real trainer battles, but in the end, she agreed to participate.

Which left Shigeru with no other choice. But if Giovanni wanted a show, he would give the man a show. The moment he knew there was no escaping the match, Shigeru had planned to make it one to remember.

Satoshi & Kasumi flew in on their birds and waved to the crowd, but Shigeru had no intention of doing the same. Instead, he turned to Moltres and whispered, "This is your last chance. If you want to be free again, fight like it. Fight for your freedom!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when Moltres screeched and took off, only giving Shigeru time to grab desperately onto its neck.

The instant it was out in the open air, Moltres made a beeline for Articuno, crashing into the blue bird from above. As the biggest and heaviest of the birds, much of Moltres's battling style included physically overpowering his always smaller opponents.

Not one to be left out, Zapdos rose higher and let loose with a huge Thunderbolt that hit both birds.

Moltres screamed in outrage and tore into Zapdos with its infamous Sky Attack. The impact nearly knocked Satoshi off his bird, and Zapdos wasn't the only one angered by that. The temperature around Moltres dropped rapidly as it was caught in the middle of a ferocious Blizzard.

To counter the attack, Moltres raised its body temperature drastically, forgetting all about the trainer on its back. Had Shigeru stayed on any longer than he did, he would've had third-degree burns all over his body. As it was, he got off with first-degree ones on his hands and legs.

The crowd gasped in horror as Shigeru tumbled off his bird into a long drop that would more than likely end his life, no matter how he landed.

Suddenly, in a strong gust of wind, a huge, brown shape burst through the clouds and caught Shigeru on its back.

Shigeru stopped blowing on his hands long enough to realize he'd been rescued, somehow. He risked a glance over his shoulder and found himself staring into a narrowed, orange eye. Strangely, he was not afraid at all. Something about this creature made him feel…confident.

The brown creature landed carefully, allowing Shigeru to slip from its back. It nudged him almost affectionately with its head, and then leaped into the air again, too fast for any eye to track it.

Shigeru felt something wriggling in his hands. Raising them to his face, he found two oddly shaped black creatures in them. Each had a prominent, constantly moving eye. One was shaped like an H, the other like an I. It took him a few seconds to get the message, and then he chuckled softly, knowing that this was only the beginning.

"So that's how it is, Entei?" Shigeru asked, sounding very disappointed.

Entei growled quietly and did not move from its place beside Gary.

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to treat this as a chance to test T-Wreckz's true power."

"Don't you mean his Unown-boosted power?" Gary asked.

Shigeru laughed. "You wish. T-Wreckz doesn't NEED any Unown. But I'll let him prove that to you." He leaped to the ground and smirked. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Gary looked questioningly at Entei. "You…don't have to do this. I could-"

Entei looked at him, and something in the orange eyes told Gary to derail that train of thought.

"…cheer you on?" he finished lamely.

Entei turned back to the Tyranitar, his growl increasing in volume.

T-Wreckz bashed his huge fists together, a feral grin on his face.

Shigeru smiled. "Let's start off slow, big guy. Earth Claw!"

T-Wreckz stepped forward and plunged his right arm into the ground.

"Stay on your guard," Gary warned Entei.

Just then, the ground split open, and an enormous fist shot up, easily three times Entei's size. Though the legendary beast moved with amazing speed, the fist still clipped his side, sending him tumbling hard to the ground.

"Don't let up! Rollout!" Shigeru barked.

T-Wreckz ducked his head and rolled forward, becoming a green and black disc of destruction as he bore down on Entei.

Gary was almost ready to pull out his hair. He knew very little about Entei, and definitely none of his attacks. He couldn't possibly win this battle without some major help. He could only watch as the legendary beast struggled to rise and stand its ground.

Suddenly, there was a soft whisper in his ear. Without realizing he was doing so, Gary spoke the words the heard. "Mystic…Fireball?"

Entei's head snapped up as a swirling, violet ball of fire formed in front of his mouth and slammed into T-Wreckz. The Tyranitar veered off course and slammed into the wall, shaking the entire arena.

"Not bad," Shigeru murmured as T-Wreckz climbed to his feet. "But not good enough to stop us. Extreme Rollout!"

T-Wreckz roared and went into a Rollout again, only this time he was much, much faster, and there wouldn't be enough time for a Mystic Fireball.

Again, Gary reacted when there was a whisper in his ear. "Noble Flame!"

Entei leaped into the air and spat out a long trail of violet fire that landed directly in T-Wreckz's path.

The Tyranitar came to a screeching halt when it first hit the flames, but by then, it was already coated in violet fire. With a roar of rage, T-Wreckz leaped up and began beating out the flames on his body furiously.

Gary knew he had to press the advantage while he still had it. "Inferno!" he shouted.

Entei's entire body seemed to go up in flames as he dashed around T-Wreckz in tight circles, leaving a growing column of flame in his wake. A roar of incredible pain tore from the column, and a few seconds later, T-Wreckz burst into view, throwing his rocky body to the ground in an attempt to put out the fires scorching his armored flesh.

Shigeru frowned slightly. "Not a bad start, bro. But don't go getting any ideas about winning this battle. T-Wreckz! Legend Lance!"

The Tyranitar leaped to his feet and opened his mouth wide, revealing a huge ball of blazing blue energy. A wide beam tore from his mouth seconds later, knocking the armored Pokémon onto his back. The beam smashed into Entei, slamming him against the arena wall, where he collapsed and did not move.

"…Entei?" Gary whispered in a small voice. He could sense his one chance at victory fading fast.

Shigeru scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Hmm. Never actually got around to testing that one. Can't believe it actually worked…" He bent down to check on T-Wreckz, and was surprised to find that his partner had fainted. "Wow. Well, good job as usual, pal. You wrapped this one up, just like I knew you would. Sweet dreams and all that." He recalled T-Wreckz into a green and black striped pokéball.

Gary hesitantly approached Entei and placed a hand carefully on the fallen legendary's head. After a few moments had passed with no response, he sighed. "Thanks for trying, anyway. You were my last hope, and I'm honored to have earned your respect, Entei."

Sally wandered over and poked Entei's side gently with her vines. Apparently realizing that he wouldn't be getting up, she looked expectantly up at Gary.

"Sorry, Sally," Gary murmured. "I wish it hadn't ended like this, but…you have to go with Shigeru now."

"Says who?" Duplica demanded hotly from the sidelines. "Last time I checked, when both Pokémon faint, the match is a draw."

"She's got me there," Shigeru admitted with a smile. "And I'd hate to win on a technicality. So if you can come up with another Pokémon, you can either take on Houndoom, Ursaring, or Lugia for all the marbles."

Gary began to reach for Nidoking's pokéball, and then stopped. "No. This is it. I'm not bringing out any more of my Pokémon. I refuse to watch another one suffer needlessly."

"I'd say there's a pretty big need, if I was you," Shigeru noted. "But if you want to surrender, I totally understand. You haven't won a single match yet."

"You're just going to give up?" Misty asked Gary in shock.

He glared at her. "What do you expect me to do? These are some of the best Pokémon I ever trained, and he beat them half to death. So unless you're willing to contribute your own-"

Misty removed the pokéball she wore around her neck and handed it to him without a word.

"What? But you…" Gary trailed off as he felt the pokéball pulse with icy power. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, I think it's a travesty that you don't have a single water or ice type in your lineup," Misty replied, winking at him. "Eve doesn't count, since whatever she does to get there isn't natural. I figure the least I can do is let you borrow Articuno for a bit."

Gary was still trying to get over the shock when he noticed that Suicune was standing next to him. "What, you, too?" he asked weakly.

Suicune answered with an odd, reverberating bark that sounded as if it came from underwater. At any rate, it seemed like a yes.

"Y'know, in some circles, using legendary Pokémon that don't belong to you would be considered cheating," Shigeru chuckled. "Me, I call it healthy competition. But if you're gonna use them, I see no reason why I can't." He drew out Lugia's pokéball with a wry grin. "Would it make you feel any better if I said he's not using any Unown, either?"

Brock leaned closer to Morty in the stands, thinking he'd heard wrong. "You did WHAT to Moltres?"

"Ate him," Morty replied simply. "It wasn't my intent, but Butch was mad, in every sense of the word."

"Part of me wants to say that was good, but there were three legendary birds for a reason. That trio was part of a natural balance, and you've torn it apart for good."

"It's unfortunate that Moltres fell into Butch's hands. I don't think he and Cassidy ever really deserved their titles, and if they did, she was the better trainer by far. In the right hands, it would've been possible to defeat Moltres without killing him. But there was no other way, and I could hardly let him win. It was a battle to the death."

"I suppose you're right," Brock relented at last. "Still a great loss, but a necessary one in the end. You have my thanks for protecting Sylvie."

"I did nothing, and I severely doubt she needed any guardian," Morty stated. "I doubt even Satoshi could've stopped her from coming here."

Brock gave him a grave look. "Let's be glad we didn't have a chance to test that theory."

Morty nodded and turned his attention back to the arena floor. "So, who exactly are we rooting for? If Shigeru leaves, that's one less Elite for us to worry about."

"Our goal is to restore the minds of the Elite, but I don't know if that's the case with Shigeru," Brock answered. "I can't tell if the Unown are controlling him, or if they're merely servants to his will. Either way, I think it would be hazardous to allow him access to another world."

"At least Misty seems to have come around," Morty observed, "and Satoshi may be waning. With any luck, Sabrina should be able to free his mind when she emerges."

"Then let's hope she hatches soon," Brock muttered. "Lugia is known for a lot of things, but long battles isn't one of them."

Though she prided herself on being an officer of the law, Jenny couldn't help smirking a bit as she stepped into Giovanni's office. It was the first time she'd ever been so close to the guiding force behind what had one been Team Rocket, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that this would not end how she expected it to.

"Hands where I can see them, Giovanni," she snapped at the man behind the desk, aiming her gun at him.

Just over her shoulder, Jessie and James peeked into their old boss's office. Though they had little to fear from him now, being long since dishonorably discharged, it still gave them the willies to be in his presence. Of course, Giovanni had that effect on many of his grunts.

"You heard me!" Captain Jenny barked. "Hands in the air!"

The man behind the desk did not move. He merely stared straight ahead, a blank expression on his face.

Frowning, Jenny carefully advanced into the room, but she came to a sudden stop a few feet away from the desk. Sniffing the air carefully, something like triumph passed over her face, but it didn't last. She put away her gun and turned around. "It's safe, you three. He won't be harming anyone else, ever."

Persian poked his head into the room, purring happily at the fact that she'd included him.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked, looking confused. "He looks a little out of it, but…"

"He's a lot out of it," Jenny replied. "If my hunch is right, he's barely been dead an hour. There's a hole in the base of his throat, too big for a normal bullet, but just the right size if it came from an elephant gun. Odd thing is, he's clean: no blood spilled at all."

"He's…dead?" James asked in surprise. "Just like that?"

"I think it must've been over quickly, so he probably didn't feel much. Though I guess that's not really a consolation for you guys. But I'm sure once we find Cassidy and Butch, all your stolen Pokémon will be returned. Now, let's go. The others could use our help." She herded them out of the room, casting a final glance at Giovanni before closing the door behind her.

Instantly, there was a relieved sigh, and a young man crawled out from under the desk, making sure to shove Giovanni's body out of the way as he did so. On his head, he wore a pale blue bandanna marked with a letter A made out of small bones. His black and white striped shirt was stained with grass and mud, and his pants, which used to match the bandanna, were soaked and clung to his legs. Shivering slightly, he climbed to his feet and surveyed the office one last time before nodding.

"No prints," he murmured, checking his black gloves, "no evidence. You clean, ICU?"

The air before him shimmered, and a steel-covered, spider like monstrosity appeared, its crimson eyes flashing as it raised a three-clawed foot for his inspection.

"Good. Maybe we overdid it with the hole, but Psychic alone wouldn't have left any cause of death. And we want them to know someone got the job done." He checked his watch and frowned. "We're still early, so let's hope that my 'partner' isn't late for once in her life."

Satoshi shifted slightly beneath his black cloak as Gary and Shigeru prepared for the next round of their battle. This was not because he was uncomfortable, but because the strangely colored egg that Shigeru had given him kept rocking from side to side at odd intervals. The Pokémon inside must've been growing at an incredible rate, since the egg had seemed more like a rock when he'd received it: dull and lifeless.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up, as if there was a significant amount of electricity nearby. The problem with this was that as the trainer of Zapdos, Satoshi's body rarely reacted to anything short of a Thunderbolt to the head. For him to react like this, something nearby was either very wrong or very strong…or both.

Pikachu, who had wandered over to check on Eve's condition, returned to his trainer at once, his tail standing straight up in the air. "Pikapi," he said, sounding worried.

At first, Satoshi figured Pikachu was only concerned about Eve. Then, however, he noticed Raikou was pawing at the ground anxiously. "You sense something wrong, as well?"

As if in reply, something long and black flew over Satoshi's head, soaring across the arena with frightening speed, and slammed into Gary's chest hard enough to knock him down. Even as he fell to the ground, blood was already flying from his chest in liberal amounts, making him resemble a morbid sprinkler.

Satoshi was on his feet in an instant. "Thunder Claw!"

Raikou darted past him, sparks leaping from the legendary beast's feet as he crossed the arena in a single bound, slashing at whatever had attacked Gary. There was a small explosion of sparks, followed by a pained hissing as the attacker hit the ground rolling, regained its footing, and suddenly changed direction, making a beeline for the injured Cleo.

Duplica snatched Leon from the pouch of Copycat's startled Kangaskhan and threw him at the rapid black blur. "Moonlight, then Flash!"

The rings on Leon's body lit up briefly, and then there was a blinding flash of light. When it faded, Leon was revealed lying next to Cleo. A few feet from them stood a tall, sleek cat with black fur darker than the night itself. Most noticeable about the cat, however, was that it stumbled blindly back on two legs, not four. Its fur was still smoking from where Raikou had connected, but this didn't seem to bother it in the least anymore.

"It…it almost looks like…Sentry?" Misty whispered uncertainly.

"That is NOT Sentry," Satoshi insisted, striding forward. "For one thing, it has a taste for blood and psychics. It's a dark Pokémon…at least, it shares the same traits as one."

The cat seemed to recover at Satoshi's approach, but instead of attacking him, it slunk back nervously. Then, it stopped and glanced around warily, searching the stands. Its gaze stopped on one particular section, and then it was off again, yowling angrily as it bounded over the wall and up the steps.

Satoshi whipped out a black pokéball and threw it in one smooth motion. "Electric Fireball, now!" he barked.

Gengar erupted from his pokéball, firing the attack even before he was fully materialized. The crackling ball of power soared through the air, connecting with the black cat's back. There was a brief flash of light, in which three figures became visible just beyond the point of impact, before the darkness of night fell again.

Satoshi had every intention of making sure the cat was down, but was distracted when he saw Shigeru moving towards the fallen Gary, who was already hidden from view by Duplica and Misty as they worried over him.

"Things never go the way you expect, huh, bro?" Shigeru murmured softly, almost to himself. "Despite all my big plans, I never wanted this for you. I should've gotten rid of that thing back when I knew Giovanni was trying to breed a dark Mewtwo. This is all my fault. I never thought he'd go so far as to kill you. Or me. Either of us, not that it matters now. The point is, no world deserves to exist without some form of us in it."

Misty looked up as she heard an odd whispering noise. Her eyes widened as the ring of Unown around Shigeru's waist began to pulse and spin rapidly. "What are you doing?!"

"Saving myself from an early retirement," Shigeru replied flatly, his eyes narrowing. "I suggest you ladies step back, unless the thought of hearing weird voices in your head twenty-four hours a day appeals to you."

Duplica and Misty traded looks before hesitantly backing away from Gary.

Shigeru leaned over his twin, seeing his shuddering body with many eyes, and hearing his labored breath with many ears. "Okay, bro. If you're half as tough as me, this should only hurt like hell for a second or two." With that, he placed a hand on Gary's blood-soaked chest and grimaced.

At once, Gary's body jerked as if it were being electrocuted, and his eyes flew open, spinning wildly for a few seconds before locking on Shigeru's face.

"Stop resisting, damn you!" Shigeru hissed as Gary began to grit his teeth. "I'm trying to save your life!"

"NO!" Gary shouted, suddenly finding his voice. "You can't make me owe you anything! I'd rather die than be trapped here with no memory of who I am!"

Satoshi's head snapped up at that, his brow furrowing as he watched the heated exchange.

"I'm not trying to trick you!" Shigeru snapped. "Once you're healed, we'll battle again!"

Gary sneered at him. "How can I trust you?! You're trying to steal everything that I am!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm trying to give you everything that I lost?!"

Gary's face went blank at that, confusion dominant in his eyes. "…what?"

The momentary pause was enough. With a triumphant cry, Shigeru thrust his hand into Gary's chest, relief spreading across his face as Gary slumped to the ground, his breathing slow but audible.

"What did you do to him?!" Misty demanded.

"Keeping him alive, for now," Shigeru replied as he stood up.

"You connected him to the Unown, didn't you," Satoshi said accusingly.

"Considering all I'll eventually take from him, it's the least I could do. In a few days, he'll be as good as new. Then, we battle."

"You know he can't beat you."

Shigeru smiled faintly. "Yeah. But it was kinda fun to watch him try. Reminded me of what I used to be like, before all of this, before them." He gestured to the Unown. "In a way, I pity him. He has no idea of all the things he'll never learn."

"Seemed like he's more concerned with losing all the things he HAS learned," Duplica pointed out, and not without malice.

"Sacrifices must be made," Shigeru replied, "for the greater good."

"Good for you, you mean," Misty muttered.

He grinned and patted her head before she could pull away. "Got your old spunk back, huh, Red? Good for you. But in case you forgot, you're worrying over the wrong guy." With that, he walked off, twirling an O Unown around his finger as it trilled happily.

A few rapidly fading feathers were all that marked the passing of Moltres. Their former brilliance, once enough to rival the sun itself, was little more than a memory now. They lay on the rocky earth, fallen and forgotten.

The ground beneath them trembled suddenly, and a fissure split the earth wide open, swallowing the feathers in the space of a heartbeat.

Then new feathers burst from the fissure, followed by a taloned hand of brightest red. A bird like head emerged next, the eyes sharp and narrowed in concentration.

The fissure widened slowly, and a huge, hulking shape rose up behind the bird.

"Okay, you two, enough with the dramatic posing! Get me OUT of here!"

The bird got free first, then bent its lean, powerful body as it pulled its trainer free.

"Thanks, Blaze," she muttered absently, trying pointlessly to brush the dirt from her clothes. "Great. I bet this will NEVER wash out! And I really liked this work outfit, too…" She seemed oblivious to the fact that it made her look like an absurdly-dressed (and now very dirty) red and black cow.

As if in response, the enormous shape behind her lifted its head, and for a brief moment, bright yellow lines lit up across its back and limbs, highlighting the segments in its body.

An instant later, the first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, bathing them in surprising warmth, for that time of day.

But the young girl, who had seen it all many times before, shook her head and frowned. "You big show-off," she sighed, stomping ahead of them. "I bet Brendan doesn't have to put up with stunts like this…"

The two tall, reddish Pokémon shared a quick, mischievous glance before moving to follow their trainer.

Next Chapter: It's Another World

Sabrina's return summons old memories for Satoshi. Gary prepares himself for a one-on-one battle with Shigeru and Lugia. And just when things are about to get really serious, two very strange trainers appear and order everyone to "surrender now, or prepare to fight!"


End file.
